7QT: The "It's Fall!" Edition

It's fall, it's fall, it's fall! Linking up with This Ain't the Lyceum to bring you 7 Quick Takes with all of the reasons fall is my favorite season.

I will preface this by saying that this opinion comes from experiencing falls in North Texas growing up, and the San Francisco Bay Area college and beyond. My falls have been pretty temperate so far.

1. It has two big holidays but they are at the END, or late middle, of the season.

I love holidays! Making fun themed things, throwing parties, excuses to dress up - all things that cause me to spend a lot of time scrolling Pinterest. But I feel like I get so much more time to slowly DIY decorations and attire with fall holidays. There is all that lead up during September and most of October that is just begging to be used for projects!

These may be some of the things one could look forward to seeing at my place come Halloween....

2. Football!

I'll admit that I got way more into football when I started dating a guy (my now husband) who was REALLY into football. Because our teams (Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles) are in the same division, we will never play each other in the super bowl. But that still leaves a lot of "friendly" competition for all of the other games, and the inevitable knock out of the playoffs by one or the other.

3. Just for Fun Traditions

Fall is full of little traditions and has a knack for a lot of "just for fun" traditions.

In Texas we have these things called homecoming mums. . It was fun to pick out the little extra ribbons, bells, and other add ons with my mom and sisters at Michaels, and the hot glue bonanza, back at home, to attach them all.

I was really bummed out when I learned they were not a thing outside of Texas

Note these are not the monstrosities that require straps and other supports. Those are way too over the top. If it can't be held on by a safety pin or two, then your mum is wearing you.

4. Making New Decisions

With wrapping up summer adventures and getting back into the school/work swing, fall has been the time for making new decisions for me. Maybe I will go make that faith study group! I always did want to learn how to knit. What if I just went and auditioned for that play?

It's in the air to make new decisions, and hopefully better decisions, in the fall!

5. Airing Out the House!

Fall brings that first (relatively) cool breeze! It's finally not too hot to open up the house, and not yet cold or rainy. I love how it feels inside when I have every possible window open!

6. Harvest Festivals and Pumpkin Patches

I'm new to the harvest festival and pumpkin patch thing.

Our CSA puts on a pretty awesome harvest festival called Hoes Down Harvest Festival up in Guinda, CA. We can't make it this year, but the whole thing is filled with great stuff like sheep wool shearing/carding/shipping/knitting, a hay pyramid for kids to climb on/through, and a lantern lit fire show on the river when it gets dark.

I went to my first pumpkin patch my sophomore year old college. Corn maze, haunted house, the works!

Corn mazes are a lot of this.

Rewarded with a little of this. I'm the one in the white shirt, if you haven't guessed yet.

7. Halloween

Halloween, in my opinion, is the most fun when done with kids. Kids are the ultimate excuse to do celebratory stuff and skip the adult awkwardness.

Carving pumpkins! John is already asking when he can "scoop out the pumpkins". Baby Therese can probably help this year!

Halloween parade in Oakland! Loved this little parade. It ends in Mountain View Cemetery, and they have crafts, bounce houses, food trucks, and a pumpkin patch.

This Halloween it's a Harry Potter themed bash! I could not resist the pinterest ideas any longer!

We do celebrate All Saints and All Souls days as well. I like to visit a cemetery if we can on All Souls. I'll also write down the names of everyone I know who has died on a paper heart that is placed on our family altar with a vigil candle. John finally knows enough saints to choose one for an All Saints dinner this year! 

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