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Thursday, September 24, 2015

The first week of fall


Can you believe we are already celebrating the first week of fall? It feels like 2015 just started! Maybe it is because I have been wishing for this time of year to come around again. Fall is my favorite season and I don't care if it makes me #basic. Since it is the first week of fall I thought I would make a little post about some of my favorite things about fall as well as some new things I want to try and do this fall! Get ready for lots of references to warmth and coziness!

The first thing I love about this time of year is of course the weather! I hate the hot months of summer mainly because I live in the southern part of the US and the humidity is literally unbearable most days of the year. In the fall the humidity lifts and you get a crisp fresh temperature that won't make you sweat after five minutes of being outside. It also makes me want to be outside more because I don't have to worry about feeling gross from the humidity and heat.

Along with the weather comes the clothes. because it is cooler outside I can start to wear some of my favorite types of clothes which are (in no particular order) boots, scarves, sweaters, sweatshirts, cardigans, fuzzy socks, long sleeves, and vests. Fall makes for better fashion at least for me because I can layer more things and enjoy wearing them without worrying about getting too hot and stuffy in them. I also like the darker, richer colors that are associated with fall such as deep maroons and burgundy shades as well as rich dark orange and golds.

I also love all of the fall scents that places such as Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candles produces. The fall scents are always my favorite because they make me feel all warm and cozy! Some of my favorite fall scents are Leaves, Pumpkin Pie, Vanilla Cedarwood, Crisp Apple, and generally anything with that spice fragrance! Even just the burning of candles is something that I love about fall. When the weather starts to drop I just feel like having a candle lit in every room of the house because it adds to the cozy feeling.

The scenery in the fall is also one of my favorite things. Yes I think the flowers blooming in the spring are beautiful but something much more breathtaking to me has always been the changing of the leaves from summer to fall. I love watching everything go from a bright green to beautiful shades of yellow and red and seeing all the leaves fall. There is just something about it that has always given me the warm fuzzies getting to watch the amazing things nature can do.

One of the biggest things I want to do this fall is go apple picking. I have been researching places near my area to try and find somewhere that does it and the one place (which was 4 hours north) doesn't actually let you pick them anymore. So it is definitely at the top of my list to find somewhere and go and pick some fresh apples. Not only for the experience and the fun of it but also.. umm duh fresh apples you picked yourself.. can you even imagine how amazing they would taste fresh off the tree?!

Another big thing that I wanted to do (which I AM going to do next weekend) is go to Disney during the fall! Combine the happiest place on earth with my favorite season??? I might just explode from excitement! One of my best friends, Daniel, and I are going next weekend and I have never been during the fall to experience Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween so I can't wait to see all of the Disney villains and interact with them as well as see the park decked out for the season!

Something a little less extravagant but also something fun is carving pumpkins. It is something I love doing during the fall and also something that I always want to do every year so I guess it counts as a little bit of both! I love going to a pumpkin patch and picking out a pumpkin and then bringing it home and carving it with friends and family! Last year Daniel and I carved pumpkins over Skype but we still had the best time! I definitely think it is something that should be on everyone's fall to-do list!

Of course I can't make a post about fall without mentioning the holidays that occur during the season! I LOVED Halloween when I was younger. I have always hated scary movies but the dressing up and getting to be one of your favorite characters for a night has always been one of my favorite parts about Halloween. Trick or Treating was something that I loved when I was younger and I love being on the other side of it now and getting to see all of the children in my neighborhood get all excited and dressed up! Thanksgiving is the other holiday that occurs during the fall season and it is something I have always looked forward to because it is a day I get to spend with my family and we get to eat all of the best foods :)

There are just not enough wonderful things to say about this time of the year. The world around you is changing season and you get to witness it and this time of year brings the best holidays to have fun with friends and family!

What is one of your favorite things about fall and what is one thing you can't wait to do this fall season? I can't wait to hear! Leave a comment and let me know! I'm going to go order myself a PSL and wait for the leaves to start changing.

xoxo Jess

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

My favorite books to cozy up with

Who doesn't love this time of year? When the leaves are changing and instead of spending time basking in the sun people have a longing to curl up by the fire with a good book. Fall is one of my favorite times of year for this very reason. So in this post I am going to let you in on a few of my all time favorite books and book series that I enjoy curling up with.

The first book series is one I happened upon by chance, and yes it may seem juvenile but I have really enjoyed reading them.
The Selection Series

This book series by Kiera Cass is set in a post-apocalyptic world after a third world war when the idea of the United States is a thing of the forgotten past and the US territory is ruled by a monarchy. It follows the story of the royal prince having to find a bride via The Selection. In these books the people are separated into numbers based on their economic standing, Ones being royalty and on down. What makes these books so interesting is the different dynamic twists and turns and I found myself laughing and crying all throughout. Kiera did a wonderful job painting this world she created. The most current book, The Heir, follows the story of the offspring of the prince and his chosen bride from the first three. There is one last book set to be released next year in 2016. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the final book of the series!  

Following the same type of novel which is set in another post-apocalyptic world.

The Jewel Series

This is the first book in the series by Amy Ewing and the second has recently been released (The White Rose) and I haven't read it yet but rest assured I will be purchasing it soon to find out what happens! This book, as stated on the authors website, is a mix between The Selection Series and A Handmaiden's Tale. It follows the story of Violet who has to be a surrogate to a royal family because in this post- apocalyptic world the royals cannot have babies anymore because of so much inbreeding so they find other girls who can, but with a twist. I won't give away what the twist is but it has a sort of "magic" involved and if that is up your alley you would love this series!

The next set of books is one I believe many people would already be familiar with.

The Divergent Series


This book series by Veronica Roth is also set in a post-apocalyptic world in which your talents choose which area of the economy you end up in. I won't delve too deeply into these because I am sure everyone has heard of them but I will say that if you have only seen the movies you really should read the books because they go in a little different of a way from the movies and also, you get so much more description and plot when you read the books versus watching the movies.

Moving away from post-apocalyptic books I am moving into more historical books. These however do not have a series but they are all from the same author and so I am going to lump them together. 

Phillipa Gregory Books 



I have read all of these plus a few others of hers and I have loved the way she writes and the style and accuracy of her writing. The ones which circulate King Henry are some of my personal favorites and she definitely does her research in regards to historical accuracy and then adds in her own personal touches as an author as to why these people's stories have ended up they way they have. If you enjoy historical fiction you would love her novels and I suggest you take time to delve into these books. One of my personal favorites that I always like to re-read is The Other Boleyn Girl. It is a huge novel with almost 600 pages yet I always manage to fly through it because the story captures me into it every time.

I hope this list of a few of my favorite reads inspires you to pick up a good book this fall and get lost in another world. Let me know what some of your favorite books or book series are in the comments below!

xoxo Jess