Guest Post: My perfect autumn day.

Hello, lovely Yammering Muse readers! My name is Mary and I write the blog babble + bloom :) 

I was so honored when Ashley asked me to be a guest poster while she was away making her big move, and even more excited when asked me to write about my favorite thing about autumn. Let me say-- choosing my absolute favorite thing about fall was no easy task. I kind of love every single thing about it. The clothing-- tights, scarves, sweaters!-- the food-- apple pie, homemade soup, fresh cider!-- how my lovely little corner of the upper Midwest turns such beautiful colors as soon as the air gets a chill. Let's face it-- I'm already an indecisive girl, how could I possibly choose only one thing to love about my favorite season?

So I decided to ahem cheat, a little bit, and describe my perfect autumn day to you. 

We start with a crisp, chilly, early morning fall walk. 

I am a born and raised Wisconsinite, and spent my four years of college in beautiful Minnesota. Even just walking to class became a fall walk for me! There's nothing I love more than being surrounded by gorgeous colored leaves and hearing them crunch under my feet. 

Next comes a trip to the apple orchard to pick fresh apples & pumpkins, and stock up on cider doughnuts & homemade pumpkin butter.

Every year, my friends and I take a trip to the apple orchard to pick our own fruits & pumpkins. We're usually the only 20-somethings at the orchard without kids, but the second we get a whiff of cider doughnuts, I could kind of care less. And of course, every year I bring a big jar of pumpkin butter home with me-- it's pretty much the world's most perfect condiment and is delicious on everything, but I love it most on a simple PB+PB (peanut butter and pumpkin butter) sandwich.

We return home and partake in a little apple baking and butternut squash soup-making. 

 

Again, with the food. Can you tell I love to cook (and eat? :)) But linked above are some of my absolute favorite autumnal recipes. Baked apples are incredible topped with a little whipped cream, and I love to make my butternut squash soup extra delicious with lots of veggies, herbs, and the secret addition of unsweetened apple sauce for that extra kick of fall flavor. 

Finally, we finish the day cuddled in blankets (if I had a fireplace, here's where I'd be snuggling next to it!) and watching my favorite fall movie, You've Got Mail.

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."  Le sigh.

So there you have it: my perfect fall day! Thanks again, Ashley, for hosting me here today, and I can't wait to see what the rest of your lovely guest posters have to say about autumn as well. If I wasn't before, I am most definitely ready for fall now :)