Loving Fall & Early Christmas Planning

Fall is my favorite season and it feels like it goes by faster and faster each year. As I write this post, there is sleet falling outside my window here in NJ. Today I thought I would share a few odds and ends before the season completely passes us by.

Dax has been enjoying all of the leaves this fall. There's nothing like a puppy's spirit to remind us how to enjoy every moment!

The time we get to spend in upstate NY at this time of the year is always special. I prepared for one weekend away by packing a basket of fall goodies. A candle, pumpkin pancake mix and a library book are essentials for a fall getaway.

A highlight of our time in the mountains was spending a day at the World's Largest Garage Sale in Warrensburg, NY. An annual event, there are hundreds of garage sales and vendors set up throughout the town. I picked up a few items, including an old sled that I am planning to hang over our kitchen island for Christmas (if I can figure out a way to do it!). I snapped the picture below as we walked through the town. The leaves were just beginning to change and the mist over the mountains was beautiful.

I took these pictures as we walked down the main street in Chestertown, NY a week later when the leaves were ablaze in color.

We caught glimpse of a sea plane about to take off on Schroon Lake one warm afternoon. The views must have been spectacular from their vantage point.

Back at the house, it was chilly enough for a fire a few mornings. I settled in with a couple of Ellen Stimson's books. I had read her first, Mud Season a couple of years back.  She writes about her life in Vermont after moving her family there from the midwest.

Good Grief continues Ellen's story as her family of "flatlanders" settles into life in an old farmhouse in Dorset, VT. Reading her books makes me want to pack up my house and move. A.S.A.P. So far we haven't figured out a way to make that dream a reality but we are working on it.

An Old Fashioned Christmas gives an intimate look at Ellen's family's holiday traditions and includes some great recipes. I already made her Coq Au Vin and it was delicious. I can't wait for her to write another book so I can continue living vicariously through her. :)

And so it goes that as the leaves fall from the trees, my head fills with ideas for Christmas decor. Are you planning any holiday decor or activities yet? I think my favorite part is in the planning. No stress and endless possibilities.