Fall has arrived! Well, close enough for this girl!

It's the most beautiful, special time of year again - Fall is arriving!  I can smell it and feel it in the air and nothing makes me happier.  Nothing.  Fall brings everything that is good - crisp weather, frosty mornings, chilly nights, chunky sweaters, scarves, tall boots, baking, crock potting (a term I believe I just coined), pumpkins, beautifully decorated porches (Yay!  I actually have one this year!  Two of them actually - double yay!), warm spices, such unique and warm colors in the leaves and land, and to me, a sense of peace.  Everything glows. Who doesn't love glowing things?  Fall makes me even more of a homebody - it inspires me to stay home, inside, crafting, baking, creating and nesting.  The coming of Fall means that the business of Summer is finally slowing down and I somehow manage to adopt a new sense of focus and content which is much needed and very welcome!  Right when I don't think I can do another road trip or BBQ or other warm outdoor activity that we can only do for a few months out of the year in Montana, Fall comes and knocks softly on the door and says, "Hey, take it easy."  And I do.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have created and abide by a very specific set of seasonal/holiday rules for myself because I have a tendency to get out of control (allegedly).  For instance, absolutely no Christmas music, movies, or decorations until after Thanksgiving dishes have been washed, dried, and put away.  Not a second sooner.  While I consider it a harsh and ignorant accusation, I suppose, if I try very hard, I can recall certain examples of perhaps jumping the gun on a Christmas or two.  Or ten, but whatever.  None of that even matters.  That's not why we're here.  We are here because it is past September 1st and lucky for me, that is the day I am allowed, according to me, to begin decorating for .... yes, Fall!

Speaking of obsessions, my boyfriend is a hunter.  An avid, obsessed, can't be distracted, looks forward to it all year, talks about it all year, dreams about it, lives for it, would do it for a living if he could, hunter.  He just left for a 4 or 5 day hunting trip (specific dates don't exist in hunter-speak; it's much more of a gatherer trait) and it just so happened to fall (Hey! That's my favorite season!) in the first week of September.  Usually, he might be the sound of reason.  Strike that - he doesn't know what he's talking about when he says that maybe we don't need anymore pine cone or wreath decorations or Christmas trees, but I can admit that there is a time and a place to rein me in a little bit.  If he was here this week, he might have been right in telling me not to go to Hobby Lobby THREE times within the first 24 hours of his absence, .... but he's not here.  Those three trips did happen, and I think it's best that we all just move on.  

I've been working a lot and haven't been able to do as much baking as I would like but I did make some beautiful orange marmalade breakfast rolls this week.  I didn't get a photo but I will next time and there will be a next time because they taste like an Orange Julius in a roll!  A sticky, gooey, fresh from the oven Orange Julius.  Mmmmmm.  I have had some time to put my Hobby Lobby purchases to use and here are the results.

I'm petty proud of these on our fireplace.  I just picked up some mason jars and wrapped them in burlap  and raffia, filled them with mini decorative pine cones and pumpkins, arranged some decorative flowers in there and ouila! Simple, subtle, classic country Fall decor.

Obviously I didn't have to rack my brain too much to fill a vase, but these flowers were SO much fun to pick out and they really compliment the fireplace and mason jar decorations I made.

This plain burlap ribbon table runner was SO simple and it really looks beautiful against our dark table in our dining room.  My boyfriend teased me for my "strategically random" placement of the pine cones outside of the bowl.  

It's cooling down outside and my cross-stitching project is calling my name!