Hot coffee & baked goods - just two of the good parts of fall.

Everybody loves to blog about fall fashion at this time of year when the seasons start to change, and while I'm certainly no exception, there's plenty of other "fall stuff" that's getting me pumped for my favourite season.

Fall isn't just time to pull out the boots and scarves - as the weather gets crisper and the sun sets a little earlier, I find myself listening to different music, watching different movies, eating different things and just generally shifting gears.

Here are a few of the things I'm jazzed about this fall.

[things to listen to]
In summer, I like to listen to a lot of summer jams - boppy, sunshiney music - and a lot of rap (this summer I listened to Compton nonstop). In the fall I slow it down a bit and listen to artists like Lana Del Rey, Banks and Adele and of course, Taylor Swift. I think it's because she's released her last three albums in October that I associate T. Swift with fall. I'm going to see her in Toronto October 3 (!!!!!!) so 1989 will be on repeat for the next few weeks.

[things to watch]
Pete and I love watching scary, gory things all throughout October, culminating in a scary movie marathon on Halloween night. The Walking Dead also starts back up in the fall, so we always DVR it on Sunday night and watch it on Monday. I'm so out of the loop when it comes to new fall TV - is there anything I should be watching? Fall is also a great time to snuggle up and watch romantic comedies.

[things to eat & drink]
Arguably the best part of fall. It's around this time that I start pulling out the slow cooker to make soup and chili, and Sunday dinners transition from barbecues on the deck to cozy comfort food (this week, we made baked mac 'n' cheese). I also love a freshly baked apple pie in the fall with apples we've picked ourselves. Last year I discovered this pumpkin chili with beef and black beans and it became a favourite, and I'm looking forward to making these honey cinnamon cornbread muffins on the side. We also became pretty big fans of this Thai coconut soup with chicken and rice last winter - it's delicious, satisfying, and easy to whip up on a weeknight.

Of course, fall beverages are also worth getting excited about. I like white wine but I LOVE red wine and as the weather gets cooler there's nothing better than a big fishbowl of red wine to relax on a Friday night after a particularly gruesome week. I'm also a fan of pumpkin ale and, being a basic bitch, the pumpkin spice latte. I pinned this DIY pumpkin spice coffee syrup recipe last year and will definitely be trying it soon!

[things to wear]
Fall clothing is the best. Getting dressed for work in the summer is a struggle. You have to look semi-professional and be able to function in both 100% humidity, Swamp Thing bus climates and sub-zero aggressive air conditioning situations - it's goddamn near impossible.

Fall is so much easier. A pair of skinny pants topped with a blazer or a button-down and you're golden. And the booties. The booties! I could wear a chambray shirt, black skinny jeans, and brown ankle booties every single day and not get tired of it.

This year I'm also looking forward to the return of the sweater dress. Cozy sweater and tights, boots, good to go. It doesn't get any easier. I got a blanket scarf on the weekend, so I guess you could say I'm ready for fall.