Ready for Fall

I'm feeling very ready for fall. I love the crisp days after the heat of summer, wearing sweaters and scarves and boots, and the falling, colorful leaves. I'm a tiny bit sad that we won't really be having this sort of fall this year, as we have not yet made our move up North out of Southern Alabama. (Although we have been blessed by some cooler days lately). We hope and pray that by October we will be moving, and for the meantime, I'm stubbornly preparing for fall like the Yankee girl that I am.

Here are some fun fall things....

1. A new sweater (on sale, and no longer available) from Anthropologie. This sweater is a beautiful, light knitted material and it's perfect for the transition into cooler days. The wide arms are very flattering and I think it's perfect paired with a long necklace.

2. I admit it--I'm a tea snob. I was raised on only the best loose tea, made in a French press or a tea pot, and after having loose tea there's no going back to bags! I have my husband hooked too. This Earl Grey from Harney and Sons is simply the best. I buy it in New York when I'm there or order online when I'm not. It's perfect for warm and cozy late mornings or afternoons.

3. I've been eyeing this throw from Ikea. I've been looking for something both stylish and comfortable to curl up with on our couch and I think this is so modern and fun but also classic. It's not available online but when we visit my good friend in Atlanta next weekend, I think we may make a stop at the Ikea store there.

4. Another sale-section Anthropologie find! I really love that store, and I always scour the sale racks because most of their items are a little bit too pricey for me at full value. I think this is a perfect layering piece--it would be great under a longer cardigan with skinny jeans and boots, or with leggings and flats and a blazer.

5. This is my new favorite Clinique lipstick. I am a Clinique girl through and through--for both skincare and makeup. My skin just loves it! This red lipstick is called Dubonnet and it really is a great everyday red. It's not too dramatic or orange, and it's not too pink either. It's a lovely, lovely fall color.

6. This new Essie polish is called Stylenomics and it's such a gorgeous, deep emerald green, don't you think? I think I might try it on my toes.

7. These posts are my last Anthropologie find, on sale, and they are no longer available. I usually don't wear studs quite this large, but I think they're very fun, and still a tad more understated than earrings that dangle.

8. This book, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern has gotten great reviews and it's next up on my list of books to read. My husband just finished it and he's eager to have me read it so we can compare notes. It's been renewed from the library three times now, and our library is very strict, so I'm hoping they'll allow one more renewal! I normally don't read fantasy novels, but I did read over the introduction and the author has a very beautiful and poetic writing style that intrigues me. And it's a mystery, too, and I think it will be a fun fall read along with my tea and (hopefully) a new striped throw.

On another note, this is the first fall since....well, since I started Kindergarten, that I have not gone back to school. Wow! That's exciting to me. I loved college and graduate school but it's nice to have those degrees under my belt as I move into this next wonderful phase of my life.

My little brother, on the other hand, is just starting his college years as a freshman at Columbia University. He is moving in today! Our whole family is so excited for him and I'm still having a hard time really believing that he's a college kid now. I still remember what outfit I wore to school, and then to the hospital, on the day he was born.

Happy Fall!