Five Ways I’m Embracing the Fall Season … on Today’s Weekend Meanderings

Embracing the fall season with food, drink, cozy throws & more, today on Weekend Meanderings.

Happy weekend, friends!

It’s Saturday and I’m joining Elizabeth and Kim for Weekend Meanderings.

I can’t believe it’s September.

And Labor Day Weekend.

It was another busy week at Snowberry.

We returned from Hood River Oregon where we celebrated niece Megan and Greg’s wedding!

And what a wedding!

Surrounded by beautiful vineyards overlooking Mt. Hood.

We were greeted with Aperol Spritz.

And during cocktail hour … local oysters and French champagne.

Jim was in heaven.

And instead of the 95-degree temps we expected, it was the mid-70’s.

Absolute perfection.

Here’s a little snippet of the beautiful day.

My Misa dress worked out beautifully and it’s great for fall weddings too.

Dress / Earrings / Bag / Sandals

The last of our grands headed back to school.

It’s still before Labor Day and you know how I feel about that nonsense.

Now that it’s September I’m ready to start thinking about fall.

My fall decorating moves through four stages.

 

The Four Stages of Fall Décor:

Phase One (September, post-Labor Day) – a hint of fall color

Phase Two (October) – here come the real pumpkins

Phase Three (mid-October) – bring on the spook & gore

Phase Four (November) – remove the scary stuff, add turkeys and gourds

 

You can see last year’s less-is-more fall home tour here.

With that said, here are five ways I’m embracing the fall season.

 

FALL SALADS

A couple of weeks ago Kim mentioned her fall reset and inspired me to make salads. My girlfriend, Jane, came for lunch this week and I made mini-charcuterie (again!) and a green salad with chicken, apples, red grapes and walnuts. You can change out the fruit, nuts, or any of the ingredients to showcase what’s in season. This salad is light and healthy with a little fall flair … and a yummy vinaigrette dressing.

 

Here’s the recipe ~

FALL COCKTAILS

Aperol Spritz is a great year-round cocktail, but I love it even more in early fall. The weather’s still warm hot and the vivid orange/red color reminds me of turning leaves. I mentioned earlier that at niece Megan’s wedding we were greeted with Aperol Spritz. They were served in the coolest glasses (a lot like these) and created a stunning display as we arrived at the spectacular wedding venue. Jim asked me to make them last night.

I recently bought these wine glasses because I love the more angular design.

 

Aperol Spritz is a classic and a super simple drink to make … over ice add 3 oz Prosecco, 2 oz Aperol, 1 oz Club Soda, stir and garnish with an orange slice. You can see my video here.

 

COZY FALL THROWS

Pillow, trays, and throws is my decorating trifecta. They represent simple ways to refresh a space and add a little spirit of the season. Today I’m talking about throws. After a seasonal front door wreath and mat, throws are the first thing I update for fall. Throws that are a little heavier and chunkier … cozier for the cool fall evenings that I hope are coming … soon.

In addition to pretty season décor pieces, throws are great for protecting furniture from kids, pets, and spouses. For purposes of dog and cat protection I have what I refer to as our ‘house throw’ … that I buy in multiples. They’re inexpensive and easy to toss in the washing machine … they’re the workhorses of throws.

My go to stores for throws are Target (house throws)

 

And Pottery Barn.  I love this one, this one and this one. Our cat, Abby, is particularly fond of the Colossal throws. Sigh.

 

Just before Thanksgiving I switch our front porch bench or foyer throw to this neutral plaid and faux fur throw. It’s on clearance so it won’t be around much longer.

 

FALL CLOTHES

I love fall clothes. They bring back the thrill of back-to-school shopping and all that excitement. Not the excitement of going back to school, but of wearing new clothes back to school. And the big, thick September issues of Seventeen, Glamour and Mademoiselle letting us know what to wear. Now I look forward to Vogue … the current September issue is on my nightstand waiting to be devoured. The downside of course is that new fall clothes are rarely compatible with September temperatures. But we’ll get there.

Here in northern California the transition to fall clothing is a lot like the weather change … slow and subtle. The temperature can fluctuate a lot in a day … starting off cool, getting hot only to cool down again at night. Layers are the way to go … and I love a light sweater to throw over my shoulders.

I wore this transitional outfit to breakfast with my sister this week.

It was cold when I left the house and hot when I left the restaurant.

Long Sleeve Henley / Boatneck Sweater / Wide Leg Pant / Tote / Mule Loafers

A couple of weeks ago I had an appointment at the Apple’s Genius Bar to address issues with my unruly laptop. Ugh. And ended up needing to buy a new one. Double ugh. I was parked in front of Loft and clearly the laptop debacle called for a little retail therapy. I wandered into Loft, where I hadn’t shopped in eons, and was pleasantly surprised by a store full of stuff I loved. Suddenly things were looking up. I bought this cute flounce dress that I wore on the plane to Oregon last weekend. And this lightweight sweater to throw over my shoulders when the temperatures cool. I found a few other things too.

Shop Loft ~ 

 

FALL LOAFERS

I’m happy to see loafers trending. But let’s be real. Loafers are always in style. I was pretty young when I got my first pair of back-to-school loafers. My parents called them penny loafers and my dad actually put a penny in the front pocket. I’ve been a huge fan ever since. A quick history of the penny loafer.

Oh my gosh, I just found this classic, black penny loafer at J.Crew! Memories. It’s 40% off with code LONGWKND. Their Rowan Penny Loafer has a chunkier heel. And, look, it comes with an animal print upper too (it’s also 40% off this weekend … same code LONGWKND)!

I’ve worn loafers with jeans and loafers with miniskirts and loafers with everything in-between. My current pair is Paul Green’s Topper Loafer. Sadly, they’re no longer available. But I love their Naomi Platform style and their Natasha Leopard print upper with lug sole is so good too. Oh my gosh, I really like the leopard loafer. They’re even showing loafers with heels. I love loafers. If I still worked in an office (does anyone still work in an office?) I’d be wearing them every day.

This season’s loafers are platformed and lug soled … they’re chunkier. I’m not one to shy away from a chunky shoe. Especially a chunky, black shoe. Years ago, a friend looked into my closet and said, ‘you sure have a lot of chunky, black shoes.’ What can I say, the heart wants what the heart wants.

 

There are mule loafers and tassel loafers. Loafers, loafers, loafers. I just remembered I have a pair of mule, tassel loafers by Madewell. They don’t make them anymore, but they do make a mule, penny loafer. OMG!!! In fact, Madewell makes a number of great looking, and reasonably priced, loafers. And Nordstrom has an huge assortment by tons of brands. If you want to splurge, who can resist a classic Gucci loafer!

 

Coming back down to earth this Naturalizer lug sole loafer is well priced and probably very comfortable.

Jim loves loafers too. His favorite is Ferragamo. And he three pair … including the classic driving shoe. He’s way more hoity toity than me.

Loafers feel very fall to me, very back-to-school even though I wear them year-round. I’d really like a pair of the animal print upper loafers. Hello, Mr. Russell, my birthday is coming soon.

Denim / Blouse / Sweater / Sunnies / Loafers no longer available

Nothing ruins a day faster than a blister and I put these heel protectors in any hard backed shoe. Including especially my loafers.

 

So, there you have it, five ways I’m embracing the fall season at Snowberry.

And I’m dreaming of cooler days while sipping lots of ice tea on the patio.

Let’s see what Elizabeth and Kim are up to this holiday weekend!

PINECONES AND ACORNS

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE

In Other Fall Related News ~

College football is back! I’m a huge fan of the Navy Midshipman. My dad was USNA class of ’55 … and Navy football was something I grew up with. Jim takes his USC Trojan football very seriously. (A little too seriously if you ask me.) For all our sakes, let’s hope they have a good year. Go USC! Our sports obsessed nephew-in-law, Michael, (Go Boise State!) says this is a great place to keep up with the ups and downs of your college team. Go Navy!

My favorite pumpkin, caramel, butter candles are back!

I rejoined Costco this week, after a eight year lapse. Are you a Costco shopper? What are your favorite things to buy there? Any tips or tricks you’d like to share?

Loft is having a big sale … and 75% off end-of-summer sale and 30% full-price fall styles with code YAY.

If you missed last weekend’s meanderings, you can catch up here.

As always, I appreciate your visit and welcome your thoughts in the comments below.

Wishing you the very best Labor Day Weekend.

Cheers from Snowberry!