Preparing You and Your Household for the Fall Season

Fall is just around the corner with the cool air creeping in here in Pennsylvania. It may be a little cliche, but it truly is my favorite time of year!

I love the change of the season, the cool weather in the morning and evenings with warerm days. I enjoy the variety of different squash that are available at this time, the sound of crickets chirping, and of course the beautiful colors.

My husband and I are looking forward to squirrel season starting up and have been enjoying going out looking for new mushrooms to try along with other herbs and plants.

Lately, my husband and I have been working on rearranging some things in our home, so I will be putting off the Mini Refresh series for now.

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With the change of the season I want to take the time to be prepared, and allow myself to fully enjoy the season that we are in. I want to get cozy and I want my home to feel cozy and welcoming as well.

So here are 10 ways to help prepare yourself and your home for the cool months of Autumn:

#1. Swap Out Seasonal Items.

Start thinking about getting those cozy sweaters and blankets back out and freshening them up so that they are ready for you when you need them; sometimes cold weather will sneak up on you!

Swap out the summer decor that we’ve talked about in 15 Ways to Rejuvenate You Home this Summer for more fall type items to welcome the new season. Think about fall colors, things that are harvested at this time, and things that bring a sense of warmth to a room like candles, and lots of pillows and blankets.

Think about the type of cooking you may do in colder months and swap out your griddles and grills for the pressure cooker and crock-pot for homemade soups!

#2 Plan Outside Activities.

Bundle up and make sure you’re still getting fresh air and sunshine! Enjoy the weather by finding things you and your family can do together like bike rides, hiking, playing in the leaves and going to corn mazes. You can set up Croquet in the back yard or do some painting, the possibilities are endless!

#3 Enjoy Cooking with Seasonal Foods.

Cooking seasonal can be cheaper and healthier. This time of year is my favorite to cook seasonally, as I mentioned this is when you get a variety of squash available!

Plan out a few new recipes to try that you can get the ingredients for locally. Give stuffed pumpkin a try or make soups with fresh vegetables.

*Here is How I Meal Plan and Why*

#4 Allow Yourself to Slow Down

I’m very grateful to live in a place where the seasons change so dramatically. It’s a gentle reminder that we too go through seasons in our lives and we need to have grace for ourselves when it’s time to slow down.

You may live where the seasons changing makes little difference but that doesn’t mean you are any different as a person, in having seasons in your life too.

Allow yourself to slow down and rest, taking advantage of the cool weather and less daylight hours…whether or not you have them!

*Here’s how to Take Time for Yourself as a Homemaker*

#5 Get Your House Ready for the Cold

Now’s the perfect time to think about how you may need to prepare for when it gets really cold out.

Think about these things:

• Do you need heating oil, wood, pellets or something else to keep your home warm?
• Does the chimney or furnace need maintenance done? Make sure you’re ready for how you heat your house.
• Do the drains need to be cleaned out?
• Is the roof in good condition?
• Do you need curtains to keep to cold air out?
• How’s the weather stripping around the windows and doors?

This is just a handful of things to think about, but it’s best to get them done now, rather than when it’s too cold to want to.

#6 Plan a New Warm Drink to Try Every Day

Sometimes the cold weather and shorter days can bring us down, so having something to look forward to everyday is a great way to get around that!

Get creative and make your own tea blends to try, find new coffee flavors, make different types of hot coco or try something new completely like moon milk or mushroom coffee.

I like to sit on my porch this time of year and drink some coffee or tea. There’s less bugs and humidity and the warmth of the drink is all that I need to stay toasty.

#7 Plan Family Nights

Plan a few family nights to look forward to! You can make them themed for the season or out of season, have fun with it.

If you want more ideas on how to do this, read my post “3 Unique Ways to Have a Fantastic Family Night at Home.”

#8 Get Caught up on Some Cleaning

Take advantage of the weather cooling down to get some cleaning done that you may have not been able to during the heat of the summer. This is when I like to do some deep cleaning to keep my house fresh for the winter.

Walk around your house and make a list of things you want to deep clean and plan it out so that you are not doing it all at once, or over whelming yourself with it.

*Here are some Things You can Clean When You Don’t Have Time.*

#9 Host a Game Night with Friends

Planning a game night with friends is a lot like number 7 on this list, planning a family night. This gives you and your friend something different to do and look forward to.

If you and your friends have kids, keep that in mind and make it special for them too by having their own games to play or movies to watch or by finding a trusted babysitter to give them some activities to do.

#10 Maintain a Healthy Diet

Sometimes there’s nothing I want more than to curl up on the couch, do nothing and eat comfort food when it feels like it’s cold and dark all of the time. I’m not saying that it’s bad to do that sometimes but this cannot be an every day occurrence.

It’s not healthy physically or mentally.

Use this time as you cook seasonally to make sure you are taking care of your body by providing the nutrients it needs. This is going to be different for you than it is for me but just as important. Eating well can really help subside seasonal depression, along with exercise and having things to look forward to like number 2, 6, 7, and 9 of this list.

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I hope that you find something in this list to help you embrace and look forward to the Autumn months, I know I am!

It’s important to keep a good mindset with every change in the seasons, whether it’s the weather changing or in life in general. Practice gratitude, give yourself things to look forward to, allow yourself to rest, and take care of the body God has given you. This life is truly beautiful!

I want to leave you with this: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 reminds us that different seasons are important and that God makes everything beautiful in its own time. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather wait on an all-knowing God to make things happen than try to do them on my own. If I try to take things into my own hands, they don’t work out as lovely as it would, if I allowed God to do it.

I hope you all have a wonderful week, and I will be see you soon!

What are some ways you enjoy fall? Let me know below and don’t forget to find me on Facebook and Pinterest!

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