1.) Electric Wax Warmer. I can still have all of my favorite Yankee Candle fall smells (cinnamon is my fave) without the mess or worry of a burning candle.
2.) Crock pot chili. Nothing screams fall like NFL on Sunday afternoon and a bowl of chili.
3.) Pumpkin beer. Add the chili and NFL on in the background and it's the perfect fall Sunday.
4.) Fall colors road trip. I have always wanted to take a road trip during the fall and see the gorgeous colors in each area (ending location in the Northeast, of course). This fall, we're going to try to do a fall colors trip in Iowa and see how it goes. This site has some great info for all states.
5.) Apple cider sangria. I love late (weekend) nights on the patio with friends and pitcher of apple cider sangria. Get the recipe here.
6.) Moccasins from LL Bean. My love for LL Bean continues this fall with their slippers. They're warm and comfy and I'm hoping they last because I tend to wear slippers A LOT in cooler temps.
7.) Great reads for fall: What Was Mine, The Hand That Feeds You, $2 A Day, and The Writing Life.
8.) Surviving The Quake Engineering Kit. Ever since we felt one last weekend (read about that here), the minis are obsessed with learning about earthquakes. I feel I've done a poor job of explaining it so I bought this toy to help them to see what happens during an earthquake. At the very least, it's entertaining!
9.) Cardigans. Cool mornings and warm afternoons are what fall is all about here. Nothing beats a pair of leggings/yoga pants, a tee, and a cardigan over. Layering is perfect in the fall!
10.) White Chocolate Pumpkin Latte from Caribou. It's seriously fall in a cup.
11.) Fall Hikes. Find a place near you that's colorful and great for hikes. We do a lot of hiking in the fall and it takes quite a bit of extra time because the minis pick up every leaf they see, but it's great fun.
12.) Comfort Suites Hotels. After numerous road trips the last several months, these hotels have been our favorite. They're nothing special, but decent sized room with good amenities, good price point, smaller hotels (so the pool is hardly ever busy), plus there's free breakfast in the morning. That's a huge plus with kiddos.
13.) Bad Moms. This is the perfect mom friend night out. If you haven't seen it yet, grab some of your gal pals and make a night of it.
14.) Photoshop Elements. I've been using this for the last month to do simple editing on photos (mostly cropping and flipping). I'm just dipping my toes in but so far I like it!
15.) Curious George Boo Fest. Oh you haven't seen it you say? Lucky. I have the entire darn movie memorized because it's STILL a favorite around here. When it came out two years ago (yes, I remember exactly when it came out!), the kids watched it daily for thirty one days. And we have the book too.
16.) Netflix must sees: House (we just finished a re-watch of the entire series), Orange Is The New Black (we're way behind, but omg season 4!), Who Took Johnny? (a documentary on the Johnny Gosch kidnapping from the early 80's. As a parent, it makes you sick to your stomach but I found it to be quite eye opening), and Stranger Things (this is up next for us). Later in the fall we'll be enjoying a new season of Gilmore Girls and hopefully move onto Shameless.