Autumn is in the air

This summer was stunning. Warm sun. Swims in the lake. Trips to Glacier. BBQs with friends. Open windows. Iced coffee. Shorts and tanktops. Dresses with no tights. Clear days with mountain views. Picnics in the park. Fresh flowers on the table. Blackberries on the side of the road. Saturday mornings on the porch with a book. New sandals.

But alas (and I am slowly coming to terms with this), summer is over and fall is here; officially as of Saturday. And I am beginning to get excited for this new change of season. I've already enjoyed pumpkin cookies, stuffed acorn squash, and pumpkin spiced french toast. I am trying to celebrate the coming of fall and look forward to the changes it brings. Pumpkin flavored everything. Colorful leaves. Hot drinks. Lots of pies. Thanksgiving.

I don't yet feel ready to break out my coats and I'm even hesitant to put on a scarf yet. That will all come, I know. But for now, I'm enjoying the last rays of warm sunshine and beginning to let the beauty and tastes of fall into my life.

transformation of a pumpkin

this week was busier than i expected and i never got to write about my pumpkin patch adventure last sunday. it was fabulous. thank you stocker farms in snohomish for a lovely fall day; searching for the perfect pumpkin(s), caramel apple latte in hand.

                                                 the winners

As of last night, a few of these lovely pumpkins have been transformed into works of art. i love friday nights filled with friends, homemade caramel apples, pumpkin carving, and watching Elf :)

                      my owl, tamura's harry potter pumpkin, and kirby's face

                                                      yum!

so, although it's getting dark earlier and is gray more frequently and is much colder than it was a month ago, i am still finding the beauty and traditions that fall has to offer to be quite worth the downsides of the season.

Autumn in a jar

fall is here. the leaves are changing. the air is crisp. and my apartment smells of pumpkin and spices. some of my favorite things about fall are: pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn, pumpkin carving, the anticipation of christmas, baking fall flavors, pumpkin ale, caramel apples, thanksgiving, christmas decorating. my list could go on. fall is a beautiful time of year. and i must mention that i am a newbie to fall. this is only my second fall, EVER. i am unabashedly in love with the season.

in keeping with the celebration of fall, tamura and i baked delicious pumpkin cheesecake brownies yesterday. while looking at the brownie recipe, i stumbled upon what seemed like the perfect autumn dream:

homemade pumpkin spice lattes. the syrup was incredibly simple to make, and the homemade lattes i crafted this morning were divine. the syrup is autumn in a jar and the latte was everything i could hope for.

so cheers. to everything that is beautiful about fall.