How did summer come and go so fast? Since it’s my favorite season, I’m a little sad to see summer go! But I’m welcoming fall by thinking of all the things I like about this season of change. After the lazy days of summer and vacation time, it seems like the arrival of fall

brings a faster pace to the shorter, cooler days. School starts, football season is in full swing, evening comes earlier, and we realize that Thanksgiving is really not that far off. All the autumn activity is fun, but I’d still like to slow things down a little and bring some of the “simple life” qualities of summer days into my autumn.

The first thing I did to welcome in the season was to hang my autumn wreath on my door. Just looking at it puts me in an autumn mood! It’s such a simple thing to do, but it can really make your autumn days more enjoyable by seeing something pretty as you come and go from your home.

That’s about all the fall decorating I’ve done so far! But I’ve decided that this year, I don’t want to put up a lot of decorations as much as surround myself with simple things I can experience in the everyday. I’m thinking of the enjoyable, relaxing things I like about autumn, and ways I can make them more a part of my season. Things like…

• Bringing some of the outside inside–branches of colorful leaves in a vase are an inexpensive and pretty home decoration.
• Decorating the porch with pumpkins of different colors and sizes.
• Lighting cinnamon, apple, and pumpkin-scented candles in the evenings.
• Keeping a warm, fluffy throw on the couch to snuggle in.
• Relaxing in a comfortable chair and reading a good book or watching a favorite movie.
• Eating favorite fall foods—a hot bowl of chili, caramel apples, and pumpkin-flavored goodies.
• Using lamps on darker, grey days to give rooms a warm, cozy glow.

Do you like doing any of these things around your home? What other ways do you like to enjoy fall?

I also just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you who entered the REAL SIMPLE organizing book giveaway that I had a few posts ago! It was so fun to read your sweet comments and hear about your organizing goals and challenges. it sounds like we’re all wanting to simplify and organize in one room or another and I could identify with so many of your comments! I wish you all could have won a copy of that book!

Hope you are having a wonderful fall season so far! What do you like best about autumn and do you have any special fall decorating tips or traditions?

Sharing at Hearth and Soul, Thursday Favorite Things.