When it is too early to decorate????

 Discussion happening over here on the blog.  A few of us, one in particular, loves to decorate for the seasons. We are not talking just Christmas holidays but also for fall.  You know pumpkins, leaves, scented candles, comfy throws, all in those fall colors. 

To enjoy the season when is it acceptable to put your fall décor up?  Remember there is also Christmas décor to go up. Once we flip the calendar to September it is four months to squeeze it all in. Should fall decorating start in fall - September 21st?  Or September 1st? 

If the decision is to decorate on the official date of September 21st that gives just over a week for September, all of October, and what? Mid-November?  We are consistent on not putting holiday decorations up until after Remembrance Day. That is a given.

So fall decorations until we switch out for Christmas. That discussion point is yes, after November 11 for sure, but when? Not until December? That seems a shame as one month to enjoy the Christmas decorations. We realize a few items like snowmen can stay up into the new year.  Christmas seems cheated.

The consensus was to put the fall decorations up after Labour Day. You get the majority of September to enjoy them. Add your Halloween themed ones in October.  Start the switch over to Christmas décor after November 11 so maybe mid-November. That way your place is fully decorated for Christmas for the entire month of December to enjoy.    

What are your thoughts on seasonal decorating? When should we start? What might be too early?

That time of year !!!

Okay this post is not from all of us! Some of us are not happy about the turning of the calendar and the coming season.  A few of us, well me in particular, are excited. I was excited to pull out my fall wreath. To get out my blackets and pillows. To pull out my sweaters and pants.

I like the cooler temperature. I have more energy and am excited about the possibilities of the season. The warmer colour palette. Love decorating for the fall and the upcoming season (won't mention it here as a bit too early). I'm off to look for a new sweater dress and boots. Did I mention I also like fall/winter clothes the best!!

So to embracing whatever season you are currently in. Enjoy it isn't going anywhere soon.

 

Halloween or Fall Decor ??

 We are having a debate over here with pumpkin spice latte as it is that time of year!  That said how do you feel about fall and/or Halloween décor?  When can you start decorating for the season? What can be included and what should be off the table! Here goes! We know this could be controversial. 

First pumpkins definitely fall into the fall (autumn) category. They are NOT just for carving at Halloween. One of us has a beautiful collection of glass pumpkins. They deserve to be displayed and yeah don't feel they are Halloween décor. So if you decorate for the season the consensus here is early September is when the fall décor should come out. That gives us at least two months to enjoy our treasures. Our pumpkins, wreathes, fall pillows, blankets and fall candles. 

Closer to Halloween you can add fun stuff like bats and/or Halloween décor. Say around October 20th.  Fall and/or Halloween décor rolls into November which we all know what comes after that. We are not talking about what comes after that right now. Just not ready for that. Back to fall.

Some people LOVE Halloween and want to decorate as soon as possible. Say October 1st - if that is your bag go for it. We just felt September was a tad too early for the bats to appear. But pumpkins! Put them out.

So what is your take on fall and/or Halloween décor? When is too early? Late? Mix it up? Let us know. This is all in fun.  The main thing is you do you and love your home at every season.

How is it fall already?

 Okay it is not only fall but also the end of September. How did this happen? It seemed like last week??? We were complaining about the humidity.  That hot and humid was the new summer normal and not all of us were a fan.  Then........wham we flipped the calendar.

Since the first three weeks in September are technically summer, yes we know a lot of people consider September a fall month, (all month) but no. The humidity seemed to break with warm sunny days. Walks were lovely. You didn't mind being out in the afternoon as clothes not plastered to you. Life was good.

We guess the problem is the month flew by. It started great and now over. Not even sure what to say about the weeks in between. What did we do? All of us struggled to come up with a few concrete things. Yes first play of the new theatre season. Check that box. No fall crafts happening. Books club not this month as when talking in the summer thought September might be too busy. 

So what exactly did we do for the month? Seriously? It is a reminder to stop and live in the moment. As apparently we didn't do that in September if we can't think of anything major that happened. Maybe nothing did and that is okay. It is just the month is over and a few of us feel we have nothing to show for it. Not even a fall craft! Look at this!

Next month we are stopping and saying this is what I am doing right now. We are making plans to meet for supper. There is the theatre, Farmer's market. We have plans. Boxes to check. Life is happening with or without us. 

Happy official fall!

Fall or Halloween Decorating or both

 Decorating your home for fall and/or Halloween.  Debate is it the same or different?  Major problems here if we can debate this! lol.  We have a few opinions.  One is why are we decorating at all? We are putting that one aside.

Yes to fall decorating. Getting the fall candles out, the pillows and blankets. To adding those brown, rusts and orange colors to your home automatically warms it up.  Fall decorating can start right after Labor Day!  Few of us feel a tad too early could we not wait until at least third week of September. Fine. Whatever.

Debate came over Halloween Decorating - putting it out once October hits. Is it part of Fall decorating? A totally different theme? What?  Fall decorating can be done with no Halloween in sight.  Oh really what about pumpkins? Seriously? Are pumpkins just considered a Halloween thing or a fall thing? 

What about all our pumpkin spice! That is not associated with Halloween.  No, definitely not. Majority of us are not putting pumpkins in the Halloween category. Yes they can be part of Halloween but they are also part of Fall decorating period.

Friend has a beautiful collection of glass pumpkins she puts out in September until almost when her beautiful Christmas collection comes out.  There is no Halloween in site and it doesn't even cross your mind when you are in her home.  

So what do you think? Is Halloween decorating part of Fall decorating or it's own thing?  Majority rules here so, we are going with it's own thing. If you love Halloween do it (yes you can use the pumpkins, black cats, ghosts the works!).  Incorporate it into your Fall décor - why not? 

It doesn't have to be an either/or.  We are off to have pumpkin spice lattes and/or mulled cider.  Whatever floats the boat.

   

What brings us joy

A fun post and also a gratitude post as we should be grateful to have things that bring us joy. They should be celebrated.  Here is goes!

• Find a new book series. Especially one that has been out for a while so you have years to catch up on.
• When the seasons change and you start burning your new fall/winter candles.
• Planning a vacation - discussing when and where. Making your "must see" list. Planning and the anticipation are half the fun of vacation!
• Finding a new series on Netflix and/or Prime.  Recommendations please!!
• The first snow fall.
• Autumn - when the trees are changing colors.  Breathtaking.
• December when one of us can start holiday decorating
• Long weekends with no plans
• Getting together with family and friends
• Putting the fleece sheets on the bed for winter
• Staying in a cool boutique hotel
• Doing crafts with friends - looking at Pinterest for ideas is part of it
• Hikes in the fall with the changing colors and cooler weather
• Holiday baking
• Time in a coffee shop to just be
• Finding a new wine and being blown away. You can't wait to share.
• Realizing we have a good life and being grateful for that.

10 things we love about Fall

For some of us Fall/Autumn is our favorite season.  Here are our top ten reason why!

1. Leggings. So comfortable and a staple in fall/winter wardrobe.  This leads to number 2
2. Boots.  Love love leggings and boots. Fall wardrobe is someone's favorite.
3. Fall colors. The red, orange and yellow leaves. When the trees change color it is breathtaking.
4. Pumpkin spice.  Lattes and muffins.  Can't get enough of them.
5. New lipstick for Fall.  What is trending and checking it out. Those deeper colors.
6. Cooler nights for sleeping. Having a humid summer and the nights are still hot so....
7. School back in.  Someone had to say it.  Back to the routine. 
8. Swapping out pursue. Some of us have a black pursue we use all year. A few of us like to change them out.  For a few years I had a pretty fresh green one for the summer. It is nice to switch things up.
9. Candles.  Someone favorite.  Fall scents just seem so cozy.
10. Fall décor. The oranges, mustard and cinnamon colors. There is a warmth and coziness in fall décor. Getting your candles out.  Putting that blanket on the back of the sofa. Maybe you have seasonal pillows. 

We would love to know what your fall highlight are.

Goals for the next 30 days

 We found this challenge and enjoyed the prompts. No we haven't followed it exactly and pulled off the thirty days.  Yes to a few.  Here is one we thought neat.  What are our goals for the next 30 days.  

• More pumpkin spice lattes and treats
• Finish putting away summer clothes
• Purchase a new fall/winter pursue
• Make a fall wreath
• Pick out next book for book club
• Make supper plans with the ladies 
• Clean out linen closet (has been on list for a while)
• Buy local
• Start making soups. Slow cooker out
• Go through mitts and gloves. Toss worn ones and put others in coats
• Make sure winter boots are okay! Was I suppose to buy new ones before now???
• Winter tires on
• To get excited about the season - working on it
• Fall and/or Halloween decorating
• Halloween treats

What are your goals for the next thirty days?

That time of year - get the sweaters out!

Not everyone loves fall.  But for those that do we love our sweaters.  Feeling cozy and getting our jeans out.  Fall is perfect.  The days are still warm and the evenings cool (better for sleeping).  Sweater weather is the best as with the right one you can still sit out and enjoy the sun.  

Here are a few we are crushing on.  

Oversized and comfort.  Looks great with jeans.  We love the colors - that bit of rust is very fallish. This sweater is so Saturday afternoon on a patio with friends.

One of us thinks everyone needs a white fall/winter sweater. This one great with jeans and even dress pants. 

Turtlenecks are a staple in a few closets.  Whether fitted or loose they are a great sweater for fall and winter.  

Falling in love with this loose long sweater. Can see curled up at home with it.  Out with friends. Leggings for sure. It screams cozy to us. 

We are slowly transitioning into warmer clothes.  Whether you like fall or not make the most out of it. Get a cozy sweater, put your jeans on, grab a friend or two and take advantage of these warmer afternoon and sit and enjoy!

Autumn bucket list!

 

We don't always agree.  That said we all agree that A beautiful mess is one of our favorite blogs.  It has something for all of us.  Makeup, crafts and decor.  Elise posted her autumn bucket list and we thought "oh yeah we need one of those".  So here ours:

• pick apples
• bake apple and pumpkin pies
• go through fall/winter clothes
• carve pumpkins
• seasonal decorating (one of us collects pumpkins)
• enjoy pumpkin spice goodies
• drive to check out fall foliage
• find a fall scented candle - start burning
• corn maze
• hikes - best time of year for them

Would love to know what is on your autumn bucket list!  Please share!

New Month New Views

 Well we have turned the calendar and in the mornings can feel it in the air.  It has been a whirlwind of a summer. What will be open, can we travel, if we can where and how? This summer kept everyone closer to home and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Families looking for campers.  Booking cottages and camp grounds. Not traveling and doing home renovations. Realizing that open concept isn't necessarily all that it is cracked up to be.  We have been looking at our homes, situations and future a bit differently in the past six months.

This is not changing anytime soon. Yes we can go out to restaurants and school is starting. We are entering into another season and will have to find ways to deal with it like we did summer. Sticking closer to home and enjoying places in our own local.

We think fall and heading into winter is a great time to start thinking about new projects. Summer allowed us to be outdoors and easier to social distance.  Fall and especially winter not so much. So lets start the conversation of what we can do. Lets have projects and events in mind for when we are home more. Something to look forward.

We have been pretty creativity from Zoom book clubs, paint-nights and more. Let's not wait until winter is upon us. Why not start the conversation now as to things we can do to keep us sane and look forward to.

We're putting our heads together and will report back our ideas for events at home and keeping the winter blues somewhat at bay.

   

Getting ready for autumn

WHAT happened to summer?  We didn't get enough beach time in, sitting on outside patios or time at the cottage. It rolled, no raced, into September. The summer fun list does not have enough boxes ticked. If you still have summer weather get out there and make the most of it. If you are ready for autumn (seriously?) here are a few things to start on:

• Pumpkins and gourds are out so if you like to decorate with these colorful items now is the time to pick them up.
• Check your candles and essential oils - do you have your fall scents ready? If not start picking them up. 
• If you didn't take your winter coats and jackets to the cleaners in the spring, get off your butt and take them in now (before you need them).
• We hate to actually type these words out but....... if you have an extensive Christmas buying list now is the time to start picking items up. We only have X many pay cheques before the big day.
• Check your fall/winter makeup - check expiry dates and see if you need to pick up any trending lipstick colors!
• September is usually the month when classes and courses start back up. Check your libraries, university and community centers for what is going on. 

Let us know what you are up to this autumn and anything we should be putting on out "to do" lists.

Okay, we have now officially rolled into Autumn.  Summer clothes are being packed away with regret and "oh I didn't wear this enough or at all".  The coffee (well not really....) discussion was starting to take a downward turn over the cooler temperatures, regrets over not getting to the beach and I didn't squeeze enough summer in to begin with.

To turn this around we decided to talk about what we are looking forward to this season.  It was an unambitious decision we were all looking forward to getting our boots (NO NOT WINTER BOOTS) out or purchasing new ones.

To go along with our boots we will be tackling our sweaters.  You know some might have gotten worn around essential areas during the summer so you will need new ones. Look closely for wear and tear. You see it. New sweater needed.

One of best things about Autumn is trying out the new Autumn shades of lipstick. We are so done with light and neutral shades for summer.  It is now deep, dark and bold lipstick.  Own it.

So we actually ended our get together on a more positive note.  Let us know what you are looking forward to this season. Or better yet, good deals on sweaters, boots and of course your favourite Autumn shade of lipstick.