🎃 Fall Season is Here!

Hello there fall! I cannot believe another year has passed and we are back to my favorite season, the fall time! I literally love every single thing fall has to offer, the cooler weather, the treats, the festivities, and of course the pumpkin everything! I had my fall nailed down in Utah, but this year in Kentucky will be a whole new ball game. I am excited to do all my favorite home fall activities still here, but I am so excited to try all the new fun fall things in Kentucky! I will be trying all the new fun treats, pumpkin drinks, and festivities around town. I might do a blog about all the new things I find to recap, but for sure this blog will share all my favorite fall things I know of now from Utah and a few new spots from Kentucky!

Thrift Shop for Décor: This was a new thing for me to do this year. I had found the cutest ceramic pumpkin in the summer at a thrift shop, which sparked my soul for me to continue to stop by and look for more décor. I also watch a thousand fall decorating videos and shop with me hauls for fall decorations. I found Dollar Tree is a great spot for cheap and cute decorations for the fall season. Don't forget the Target dollar spot is another good place, too! 

Homemade Décor: I had my cute mom make me some garlands for my office at work. She made the cutest fall garland. We have made them for other holidays, as well! She makes the cutest wooden pumpkins and lots of other fun fall decorations. There are so many things to make to get festive in our homes and offices. 

Homemade Treats: Since I don't live in Utah where all of my favorite treats are I am going to have to make them at home. I started looking for copycat recipes when I had found cookies that I loved, but didn't live close to the cookie shop. That spiraled into looking for a recipe anytime I found something I loved and thought I could replicate. I have the best Pumpkin Scone recipe from Starbucks. My family has the greatest Pumpkin Cookie recipe of all time. We make beignets, fruit crumbles, and caramel apples.

Panera Soup: We didn't have a Panera in Utah for a very long time and then it was just in the airport so not assessable like I would of liked! Here in Kentucky there are Panera's all over. I am looking forward to getting the soups and bread bowls from there. I have already had some and it's still been warm outside. I love the Broccoli soup, but I am wanting to try the other options. I love their scones and croissants from there, as well. Café Rio in Utah has the best Tortilla Soup and Zupas has yummy soup options. 

Beignets: Homemade beignets are my thing during this time of the year. Something about a cup of hot chocolate and a donut is the best. I just use a can of pizza dough, fry them up and add powder sugar. They are not as good as Disneyland's Mickey ear beignets, but they are cheap and quick. 

Pumpkin Face Mask: My mom bought me the pumpkin face mask from Trader Joe's a couple years ago and I loved it so much. It is on my to buy list again this year. The mask is a leave on mask for the night. It has a light scent of pumpkin smell. It feels good on your skin and makes my face hydrated and feeling good. 

Pumpkin Steamers: I am obsessed with pumpkin steamers. They are my favorite. I can't wait to get my first one this season. That first sip is heaven every single year. My favorites are from Kneaders, Beans and Brews which are both in Utah and then Starbucks of course. I have tried a lot of different recipes at home and haven't quite found a favorite yet. I am determined to figure it out this year since I don't live by a lot of coffee shops anymore. I bet I do find new spots here soon though! I had my first Pumpkin Frappuccino in Kentucky on September 2nd! The shop is called Heine Brother's Coffee. It was one of the best pumpkin drink I have had! 

Pumpkin Lotion: My husband got me a pumpkin lotion from Pink that I love! It smells like a sweet mix of sweets and pumpkin. The smell isn't overwhelming when you put it on and it lasts quite awhile. I have also loved the Pumpkin Butter lotion from Trader Joe's. Lot's of good options! 

Pumpkin Waffles: Yum! I love a good Pumpkin flavored waffle. My husbands mom made us the yummiest pumpkin waffle while we were there house for Thanksgiving last year. I am looking forward to trying to make those. There is the yummiest pumpkin whipped cream at Waffle Love in Utah that comes on a waffle. Trader Joe's or probably any store really has frozen pumpkin waffles and pumpkin flavored waffle mixes to buy. 

Pumpkin Cookies: I lucked out growing up, my mom got passed down the best pumpkin cookie recipe. My whole family loves them, which is hard to do with a big family. If you don't have a good recipe to use, then store bought ones are an option, too. All the cookie shops in town have different versions of them and have all been good. I love the plain old ones from a Smiths or Kroger, too! 

Apple Cider: I only get a few Apple Ciders during the fall because I usually will pick a Pumpkin Steamer everywhere we go. I really do like Apple Ciders though and have found some great spots for it. Trader Joe's has it every year. Any farm place will have the best since it is usually made fresh there. We have our favorite spot in Utah called "Rowley's Red Barn" where we get apple cider slushies and donuts. Starbucks is another favorite spot for their apple ciders. 

Peach Cobbler: I don't know if Peach Cobbler is really a fall thing, but I associate it with the cooler weather and fall season. My husband makes the best cobbler. We have found a cobbler place in Kentucky that has so many flavors every single day to pick from. It is a great option if you don't want to make it. We like to make apple crips this time of the year, as well! 

Caramel Apples: This is a tradition in my family. My mom started making homemade caramel apples and we either make them or buy one during the fall season. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory or Chocolate Covered Wagon in Utah have really yummy caramel apples that come with chocolate and candies on them. It is always fun to make them at home, too! 

Pumpkin Patch: The pumpkin patches are always such a fun little spot to stop. We bought little pumpkins for our front porch our very first married and loved it. With a new house, I want to pick that tradition back up! In Kentucky there is a carved pumpkin walk you can do called the Pumpkin Spectacular that has thousands of pumpkins. Hopefully, we make it to that this year! 

Bakeries: Something about a cute decorated treat is my favorite. The fall season has so many options to decorate with. I have seen the cutest ghost, pumpkins, spiders, bats, fall colors, and whatever you can think of for fall on cupcakes, donuts, cakes, and any other dessert you can think of. I love the cookies this time of the year and all the cute donuts. Any bakery will have something unique for the holidays.

Fall Scenery: Getting out in nature during this time of the year is honestly the best. The weather is cooler so you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn. The leaves are all turning the pretty autumn colors. Utah has some awesome hikes to do and I have heard Kentucky has some good one's too! Drive the canyons or walk in the nature parks to see the leaves and scenery of fall. 

Hocus Pocus: My fall consists of watching Hocus Pocus on repeat! I don't know why, but Hocus Pocus is my favorite movie ever! There are so many fun fall movies out. The Halloween Baking Championship is another show that's on all season long for us. My siblings and I usually get together every year to have a Hocus Pocus party, where we make treats and watch the movie together. 

Pumpkin Donuts: There are so many places in Kentucky that has pumpkin donuts. I have a few places on my to-go list, but I did already get to try Dunkin Donuts Munchkins. They were so good. The donuts have a little bit of a crisp on the outside and softness on the inside. The pumpkin flavor was so yummy. Krispy Kreme has a good pumpkin spice donut, but those are out in August so they get missed later in the fall. I am looking forward to the other donut shops that have pumpkin donuts. 

Apple Cider Donuts: Since I talked about pumpkin donuts, I thought I better include my favorite Apple Cider Donuts here, too. When we lived in Utah we would drive an hour to get Apple Cider donuts from the cutest barn store. We love the ones from Trader Joe's, as well. I have heard Aldi has an Apple Cider Donut to buy, so that is on my list this year. They usually have slushies along with the donuts at most farm stores. 

Hocus Pocus House: My favorite fall memory was stopping by the house from Hocus Pocus in Salem, Massachusetts's. The house looks exactly like it did from the movie and that was thirty years ago! The town is so cute and feels just like fall there. They have the witch house and lots of fall things to do and see there. I want to go back for sure! 

Disneyland: Fall at Disneyland is the cutest! We went in October one year as a family and loved it. They have the big pumpkin at the fronts, lots of décor over the whole park, and lots of fun yummy treats. We didn't know about all the fun treats when we went, but I have a list ready for our next visit! I loved the Haunted Mansion and how they changed the theme for the holidays. The vibe is so fun during the fall there. 

Seasonal Items at a Grocery Store: My most favorite thing to do during the fall is to grocery shop for all the fun treats in a grocery store. Trader Joe's and Aldi are my favorites. Every grocery store carries seasonal items, so it's always fun to see what is new and what options there are. I have found yummy pumpkin spice cookies, donuts, snacks, waffle mixes, and so many more things. Check out my blog for my Trader Joe's hauls for ideas from there. I love looking for the Halloween decorated donuts and bakery items in the store. 

Halloween Candy: I usually never walk down the candy isles this time of the year, but this year I have found myself there a couple of times! We don't eat a lot of regular candy anymore, but I do like looking at all the new stuff that comes out. My husband loves the nerd ropes or clusters so when I saw the Halloween version of the candy I couldn't not get one for him. I have seen a lot of cute things to hand out for Halloween this year. 

Pull Out the Sweaters: This is my favorite hack for fall, I put all my fall and winter clothes away at the start of spring and then swap my wardrobe during the fall. It allows me to have a break from my clothes and gets me excited to wear them again each season. It's been the best thing I have done to keep my clothes feeling fresh and new for me. My mom this year sent me some new fall shirts, too! 

What fall things do you look forward to each year?