Anticipating Autumn: five fall things I’m looking forward to

Posted on Wednesday, at bought • 404 views

...or, the Obligatory "White Girl wearing Yoga Pants and holding a Pumpkin Spiced Latte" post. (Ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, y'all. Ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.)

I like summer, and warmish weather. I like wearing my loose-weave cotton tops, pants, and skirts. I enjoy the sun already being well above the horizon and shining brightly when I wake up at 7am, and I like evenings that don't get dark until 9pm or later. I like watching my cats position themselves to enjoy as much sunlight on as much of their body as possible (KittyJenga!!!) But change is good, and this year I've got some new things I'm looking forward to, along with the seasonal favorites. (No pumpkin spice will be mentioned anywhere in this post but in this intro, I assure you. Nay, I promise.)

Anticipating Autumn: five fall things I’m looking forward to

Wearing my new boots

I signed up for one of those sites that sells shoes for a pretty low price, and so far I've bought two pairs of shoes...and three pairs of boots. They're all above-the-knee, and wide-calf, so they actually fit me! Finding boots that fit me is always more heartbreak than it's worth. First I have to find a style I like, then I have to find that style in size 10 (or 10.5, but never 9.) Then...it's got to be something that ends at or above the knee, or has stiffened sides, so that I don't keep having to tug the boots up all day long. I signed up with JustFab (<-- affiliate link) years ago, and all the shoe styles they had at that time were absurdly high heels, or super-chunky platforms, or...well, they were Not My Thing. The site has grown since then, so I signed back up when I saw that not only did they have boots, but specifically I could search for wide-calf boots. Aside from one incident where a style that I really wanted was listed for pre-order and then, mysteriously, never made it to the US version of the site, I've been very happy with all of my boot purchases. Above-the-knee boots aren't really viable when the weather's in the mid-70s or above. But fall looks to be coming on with a vengeance, and we're forecasted to have a warmer and drier winter (...thanks El Nino...) so I can wear these for the next several months!

...as soon as I scotchguard them, so that the typical Pacific Northwest rains don't ruin them before I've had them for a year. (I knew I forgot to do something!)

Putting the winter duvet and blankets on the bed

In summer, it's too hot even to leave the fuzzy blanket folded over the foot of the bed. Once the nights started cooling down a little, I unfolded it...and Ari and Amy were ecstatic! Amy routinely now sleeps burrowed under the edge. She's not totally covered, she's just managed to scoot just far enough under the blanket that it's built up like a warm, fuzzy, blue cave wall. Ari now wants to sleep under the covers again, since the nights are chillier; and the other day I caught her and Justin playing tag...with her under the duvet. Apparently that just isn't as much fun when the summer sheet is super lightweight. I also recently bought a set of sheets that aren't flannel, but they are a bit like brushed cotton. They feel soft, and just the tiniest bit fuzzy. (But they don't grab on to my pjs and immobilize me! Yay!) I love being able to lay under the blankets, read a book for an hour, and have the cats all snuggling up beside me.

Hot comfort foods

Chili, roasted potatoes, cornbread, glazed carrots, drinking chocolate, fresh-baked cookies, ...all those wonderful things that, sure, I can have them in summer. But it's just so much more satisfying having them when it's blustery and raining outside and has been overcast for days.

Fall and winter makeup: "winter" and "autumn" shades

I've always colormatched as a "winter" - I look best in jeweltones, deeper greyed colors, and a smaller palette of autumnal shades. (Pastels and neons and I have a respect for each other, but following some lackluster ensemble-attempts in the 80s and early 90s we have consciously uncoupled.) I can wear some jeweltones in summer, but the really deep shades that I love the most? Definitely fall- and winter-wear. It's easy to wear eyeshadows and even blushes of different colors any time during the year, especially if they're used as minor accent shades or highlights; but looks that are made up just of those shades look a bit out of place in July.

The Visit

A friend of mine is visiting for the last week of September. We have Serious Shopping planned (two states, five malls, a handful of touristythings, and whatever else catches our attention at a given moment.) And, because we're both science fiction geeks and the ghods of fortuitous timing are being nice to us, we'll be able to see The Martian the day it opens, the day before she leaves. Geeks, coloring books, nail polish, and makeup.

And cheesecake. And Greek pizza. And red velvet cake. Pancakes. Steak. Macaroni and cheese. Mexican food. Salmon. High-quality chocolates. Drinking chocolate.

Once she leaves I've got some house maintenance to do, which I'm kind of looking forward to, and...kind of not. On the one hand, my weird little office will now become my walk-in closet room (for clothes AND makeup), and the downstairs bedroom will become my home office. I have to move furniture, pull up carpeting and put down new flooring, do some additional painting...lots of stuff going on. Lots. Of. Stuff.

What are you looking forward to as the seasons change?

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