It's been a while...

Wow.  I kind of fell off of the blogosphere. I had every intention of contributing to the blog at least twice per week, but then life happened. I missed two entire months, and two of my favorite months of the year at that! Let’s give this another try.

While I was out....

October – Student teaching & grad school have consumed my life. I feel like every waking moment is spent lesson planning, teaching, or writing papers. I managed to make it to one Halloween party where some friends and I were the cast of Grey’s Anatomy. I was Addison Montgomery, visiting from L.A. of course. I missed the Northeast terribly, but was able to enjoy a few cool days at the end of October. I supplemented my yearning for Northeastern autumns with pumpkin spice coffee daily and comfort food, a la turkey pumpkin chili –mmm! That’s my October in a nutshell. 

I also took some time on October 8th to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. I roasted a turkey breast and served it with all of the fixins' - yum!

November came and went in one big blur. I honestly do not recall doing much of anything outside of student teaching and graduate school. ‘Tis the life of a student teacher.  I was able to escape all of my schoolwork to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends. We went to Kings’ grandmother’s house and shared a wonderful meal and many laughs with aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and my mother-in-law. It was a terrific holiday.

Oh, and I managed to get out there and vote on November 6th. Politics aside, voting to me is an inspirational experience. To know that we live in a country where we get a voice, a voice that so many of our ancestors fought long and hard to be heard - we get a voice.

Sometime during the two months, I managed to make one fall craft – an autumn banner. Incredibly simple DIY project. I bought wooden letters from the craft store, painted them various colors, hot glued them on twine, then added a couple Styrofoam pumpkins when it was hung.

And voila!

A simple autumn banner made my Florida apartment feel just a little more like fall.

Fall Equinox

Saturday was the fall equinox, which marks the official beginning of autumn – my absolute favorite season! Even though I’m in Florida (where the high was like 92 degrees), I tried to get into the spirit of the season. I spent some time daydreaming about a place where cool, crisp air blows and I’m bundled up in a hoodie, jeans, and boots, hanging out by a campfire which is surrounded by yellow, orange, and red leaves, I’m sipping some apple cider and eating a pumpkin-flavored dessert….this is my fall. This is the fall that I always picture in my mind. Well, this coupled with pumpkin patches, hayrides, haunted houses, trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, pumpkin coffee, Thanksgiving dinner, football, and apple picking. For four years, I have been deprived of most of the staples of autumn because of my location. However, next year I’ll have my fall – the fall I always picture in my mind, the fall I’ve longed for throughout my time in Florida. The glorious autumn days will be all mine to savor! [Can you tell I’m a little excited?!]

For the time being, I’ll continue to drink my pumpkin coffee and apple cider, find a way to put pumpkin in almost every dish I cook, and burn my autumn scented candles. On Saturday, I burned a mulled apple spice candle and baked the pre-made sugar cookies with pumpkin faces on them. [I seriously love these Pillsbury sugar cookies – I think I could eat the whole batch in one sitting – eek!]

While it will never compare to the first day of autumn in Pennsylvania, it will do for now. Saturday was a good day.

Simple Pleasures - Pumpkin Scented Candle

I love autumn. All things associated with fall bring a smile to my face. Cool, crisp air. Evenings that begin a little earlier. Brilliantly colored leaves falling to the ground. Apple cider. Football. Snuggling up in hoodies and blankets. [just to name a few]

Unfortunately, living in Florida, I don’t get to experience much of the usual comforts of the autumn season.  Because of this, I usually begin yearning for fall much sooner than normal people.

So this weekend, I indulged myself with a little slice of autumn that’s available anywhere: a pumpkin scented candle. [spiced pumpkin pie to be exact]

I burnt the candle all weekend and our apartment smelled amazing, while the scent made me crave pumpkin-flavored desserts.  The smell of warm pumpkin makes any place feel cozy and ignites nostalgia of my childhood days – jumping in piles of leaves and picking out that perfect pumpkin from the patch. [Not to mention the romantic, inspiring look of a room lit only by candles]

This simple pleasure reminds me of wonderful times, makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and reignites my zest for life.