fall favorites

this is a sponsored post. while some of the products were given to me, the thoughts and opinions are all my own.

without a doubt, fall is my favorite season. after each brutal southern summer, where i feel i do little more than survive, fall is a magical reprieve. i bask in the cool weather, the fall colors, and the magnificent crispness that is the fall season. there are so many things that i love about the fall. here are a few of my all time favorites.

fall scents: i love the smells of fall. i love all things pumpkin, apple, cinnamon and warmth. with five kids i don't have time to travel to a bunch of stores to purchase scented candles, waxes or room sprays. so, target or walmart have to work as my one-stop-shop. i pretty much live in the scented aisle in the fall and i love the convenience of it all. i can even manage to occupy my littlest boys by having them "scratch and sniff" through the aisle. as a result, i have a ton of different sprays, candles and waxes in my home and my house constantly smells like something is baking or an outdoor stomp through some crunchy leaves. aside from the fact that the smells often make me hungry for all fall treats, it is amazing. i love the homey feeling scents create and, when people come in my house, they comment on how great everything smells (and not on the cherrios on the floor). it's a win-win for me.

fall decorations: i love all the colors of fall. i love pumpkins and fall leaves. fall is the time of year to bring out all the decorations that start the holiday season. my favorite of this season's decorations are the forever pumpkins we have created. while we have done ours with names, you can also carve flowers or faces into yours and use them year after year. if you want to add more scented goodness, instead of putting a light inside, put in a small scented votive. learn how to create your own forever pumpkins.

fall baking: i love baking in the fall. after the heat of the summer, my baking genes kick into high gear and i make everything i can. i especially love the spices of fall and if a recipe includes cinnamon or nutmeg, i'll make it repeatedly. with all the scented candles burning, i'm not going to lie, i'm hungry for delicious fall treats all the time. here you can find some of my favorites.

pumpkin spice muffins

pumpkin pie pancakes

apple cake

what about you? what are your fall favorites?