i heart fall

The last few years, I’ve generally had a love/hate relationship with the fall.  I used to love fall with my whole heart and soul.  Crisp air, leaves changing and crunching under my feet, warm sweaters, riding boots, hot coffee on a brisk Sunday morning, football.

My love affair with fall ended a few years back when my fall was spent tearfully trying to make it through one day at a time.  At that time, I had no capacity to appreciate anything that was happening around me, and became a pretty dull individual.  I went to work and came home.  I didn’t notice the beauty of the changing leaves or the way the clean cool air felt in my lungs.

I’m back to noticing these things.  I love wearing my skinny jeans, riding boots, and a large sweater to run errands on a weekend morning, as seen here:

Does anyone know where I can find boot socks like these?

Or decorating for fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving:

This would be beautiful as a Thanksgiving centerpiece.

If I were to have a Halloween party...

Or cooking up fall comfort foods:

I love all things mushroom.

I'm on a very strict diet, yes, but I could definitely make this with ground turkey and lots of veggies, and mashed cauliflower on top instead of mashed potatoes.

You can't tell me this pot roast doesn't look amazing.

I have an unnatural obsession with popovers.

Again, all things mushroom.  This sauce would be perfect on pasta or polenta.

These brussels sprouts just look delicious.

Mostly, I am back in love with fall.  I love that it is now socially acceptable for my nails to be so dark they’re almost black.  I love reminiscing about the fall.  I love getting decked out in my Bears apparel to either go to a game or go to the bar for a game.

I’m going to ISU for homecoming this year.  I’m going to walk the quad, and into the buildings I lived and worked in (the ones that are still there, anyway.)  I’m hoping to run into friends.  The last time I was down there for homecoming was in 2009, and I am very much looking forward to going back.  I was there in May for a wedding, but it's not the same when the campus is a ghost town, and also when it's hotter than Hades.  I much prefer crunching through the leaves on the quad in a big comfy hoodie, and maybe a hot chocolate in hand.

My home, 2003-2005.

Tailgating. Homecoming 2009.

Lastly, I got the new Mumford & Sons album, Babel (pronounced BABE-el, not BAB-el, like the Brad Pitt movie) and it is freaking fantastic.  This will definitely be my fall go-to album.  Expect a post about Mumford, as well as indie/folk music in general in the near future, as it screams fall.

Clothes:
Brown outfit here.
Black outfit here.

Decor:
halloween candy: here.
pumpkin centerpiece: here

Food:
Mushroom Crostini:
Shepherd's Pie:  here.
Pot Roast:  here.
Popovers: here.
Mushroom sauce: here.
Brussels sprouts: here.