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It’s officially September! It’s that strange time of year when the weather still feels like summer, but fall is lingering in the air, ready to drop at any moment. The nights and mornings become chillier while days are still hot. In Colorado, the afternoon temperatures waver into the mid- to upper-80s, feeling much hotter due to the elevation levels that bring us closer to the sun. This time of year is so beautiful and it often goes to fast, so I grasp on as tightly as I can, not wanting to let go. In years past, the transition from summer to fall often felt abrupt and even sometimes came with a mourning period. This year, I’d like to change that and want to have a much more peaceful summer to fall transition.

In order to have a slower paced life in the fall, I think it’s important to incorporate slow living principles. Fall can be extremely busy and overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. There is SO much content on Pinterest, YouTube, and other media platforms, pushing you to do certain things or buy certain items. There’s nothing wrong with influence, but sometimes it becomes too much. Along with that, there’s the influence to “do all the things” in fall, while also prepping for the upcoming holiday season. When did life become so hectic?! While I love all the fall content and fully embrace everything related to fall, I’m hoping this post will help you to slow down a little and enjoy the summer to fall transition before we’re fully enveloped in the upcoming season.

Why slow living?

How to have a peaceful summer to fall transition

Slowly bring out décor

• These cute velvet decorative pumpkins
• This textured pumpkin from Joann Fabrics
• This beautiful Kirkland’s taupe floral pillow
• These beige eucalyptus stems from Hobby Lobby to put in this amber neck vase
• This Stars Hollow candle from BookandReverie on Etsy
• This fall wreath from Etsy

Embrace the changing scents

Is it just me, or is summer not really associated with a smell? When I think about fall, so many scents come to mind: Wood, fire, pumpkin and spice, toasted nuts, apples. It’s to the point where companies dedicate entire lines to fall scents and we gobble them up like a Thanksgiving pumpkin pie! During the summer to fall transition, I try to slowly change my scents over from summer to fall. Sometimes, pumpkin spice and apple feels a little premature at this time of year, so I like to have scents that my husband won’t mind but will also make it feel a little closer to fall.

Wardrobe changes

Test summer to fall transition recipes

Now is the PERFECT time to start testing fall recipes before fall actually sets in. Fresh produce is still alive and well and it’s fun to make some end of summer and early fall recipes that work well during this summer to fall transition. My single serve peach crisp recipe is a great one to still embrace summer flavors while munching on something cozy and warm. Feeling ready for fall? Check out my brown butter pumpkin streusel muffins. They are the essence of fall! Want more summer to fall transition recipes? Check out some of my suggestions below.

Cinnamon apple chips, grilled vegetable rigatoni, banana nut bread, Italian wedding soup, salmon with lemon-herb orzo and broccoli, autumn salad with maple dressing, bacon, apple, & sweet potato pizza, pumpkin cornbread, apple spice whoopie pies, pumpkin oat bars, and apple toffee blondies.

Pine through food magazines

One of my favorite things to do during the summer to fall transition is to look through my large stack of fall food magazines. There’s something about physically flipping that pages of a magazine that Pinterest and food websites just can’t seem to touch. Remember the days before we had every recipe on earth at our fingertips? Remember when cookbooks and magazines were the main source of finding recipes? There’s something beautiful about the old and nostalgic and looking through food magazines makes me feel that.

Some of my favorite fall food magazines are Better Homes & Gardens, Taste of Home, AllRecipes, and Southern Living.

Watch fall vlogs for inspiration

While I love using Pinterest and YouTube, it’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole and come out hours later, especially with the algorithms! Even so, sometimes it’s fun to spend some time watching fall vlogs. Check out these fun fall vlogs to inspire your summer to fall transition

• Darling Desi – October Day in the Life, Let November Be November
• Little Women Atelier – Romanticize November
• Our Cottage Life – Autumn, the Coziest Season, Slow Autumn Days, Cozy Autumn Days

Switch out pillows and blankets

I must say, I’m not one to do many seasonal pillows and blankets…yet! However, I do like the idea of using them as a point of seasonal inspiration, especially during the summer to fall transition. My husband and I just bought new living room furniture and we’re so excited! Currently, we just have cream-colored pillows that we use year round, but I like the idea of having cozy blankets and pillows to fit the fall season. Take a look at some of these suggestions for your living room:

• Bedsure Cooling Cotton Waffle Weave Blanket
• Bedsure Burnt Orange Throw Blanket
• Fireside Cozy Sherpa Reversible Throw from Pottery Barn
• BEDELITE Super Soft Fall Throw Blanket
• This adorable pumpkin shaped throw pillow
• Hello, Pumpkin decorative pillow
• Boucle Pillow from Pottery Barn
• Cozy Cable Knit Throw Pillow from Crate and Barrel
• Farmhouse Fall Plaid Pillows from Grandin Road

Plan for upcoming fall events

If there’s one thing I love doing during the summer to fall transition, it’s making plans! Everything from planning meals to parties to adventures and travels, I love to plan. I’m still working on perfecting my daily routine, especially since I’m a new homemaker, but planning for fall is always so fun and exciting. This year, I’m hosting a Gilmore Girls Fall Party and I’m really looking forward to it. Fall can go so fast, so my suggestion is to sit down and brainstorm all of the things you’d like to accomplish during this upcoming fall season. If you’re anything like me, you find it tough to fit it all in, but a plan definitely helps. Take a look at some of these fun types of events you may want to plan for during the fall season:

• Oktoberfest
• Fall farm festivities
• Harry Potter-themed festivals and events
• Halloween parties
• Football games and tailgating parties
• Apple picking
• Farmers’ markets
• Scenic train rides
• Fall-themed 5k race

Go thrifting

If there’s ever a time to go thrifting, the summer to fall transition period is probably the best. Thrifting is so much fun and you can find a lot of great items for a fraction of the price. Whether you’re looking for a new fall outfit or some decorations for your house, local thrift stores are a great way to find these items. Did you know that Goodwill even has an online marketplace?? It works like Ebay where you place bids for items. Shipping can get a little pricey, depending where the item is shipping from, but it’s another fun way to thrift! Here are some of my favorite thrifting tips:

• Go with a budget in mind. You may find lots of items you like but it’s an easy way to overspend!
• Take a list of items you’re hoping to purchase. This will help avoid waste and buying unnecessary items.
• If you’ve never been there before, walk around the store a few times to figure out the store’s layout. This will make it easy to find items you’re looking for.
• Make friends with the store associates. Many times, the people who work at thrift stores are volunteers and they LOVE to help you out. They’ll make great suggestions and can sometimes even get you better discounts on items.

Make fall beverages

By September, the evenings and mornings are usually starting to cool down. I really enjoy sitting outside during a chilly morning wrapped in a blanket while I sip my favorite seasonal coffee and read my Bible. It’s utterly blissful. During the summer to fall transition time, making fall beverages is a great way to get in the mood for the upcoming season. It helps you feel like you’re enveloped in fall but still enjoying the hot summer-ish days. Here are some of my favorite fall beverages you should try:

• Coffee with homemade pumpkin spice creamer
• Iced pumpkin cream chai
• Thanksgiving punch
• Pumpkin spice latte
• Sparkling apple cider
• Apple cider iced tea
• Homemade apple cider

Create a fall bucket list

I don’t know about you, but during the summer to fall transition, I thoroughly enjoy looking at and creating fall bucket lists. In fact, if you love fall bucket lists, you can grab mine on my Etsy shop. It has over 100 activities and ideas! There’s something that’s so fun about planning out all of the fall activities we’re hoping to do this season. Visualizing what I plan to do during the upcoming fall season gives me so many cozy vibes and has me ready to pull out my boots so I can go stomp in a pile of leaves. Check out some of my favorite fall bucket list activities:

• Apple and pumpkin picking
• Football games (live, of course)
• Corn maze
• Roasting s’mores
• Listening to fall music while sipping coffee
• Baking fall treats
• Traveling to small towns
• Attending fall festivals and parties

Reflect on and update your routines

I think it’s really important to have a routine throughout the year. Some parts of that routine won’t change, but during the summer to fall transition, it’s a good idea to reflect on your routines and update any that might not work for the fall season. I’m a homemaker who currently works part-time in the afternoon as a virtual school office assistant. My day gets planned around my job. Some parts of my routine won’t change, like doing housework in the morning, having breakfast with my husband, and carving out time for blog and website work.

However, some things will get updated. While I’ve been enjoying wearing shorts and a t-shirt most of the day, I plan to get out more, which will require real clothes 😊 I’m all about wearing real clothes, even at home, but summer feels more relaxed, so I typically dress down. I also plan to slow down my days and not let them feel so hectic. This means, I’ll have to get a little better a time blocking so I can fit in the fall routine items I want to.

In order to help me plan, I use the Day Designer planner by Blue Sky. It allows you to create to-do list, schedules, and so much more. It truly is the only planner I use.

Listen to seasonal music

I consider myself a very seasonal person. Music, clothes, activities, TV, movies, food – it all revolves around the seasons. I have a playlist for almost any occasion and every season. As soon as I feel the first cool morning in August, I begin listening to my autumn playlist I created many years ago. It’s filled with sweet, acoustic instrumental songs and gives off cozy fall vibes. During the summer to fall transition is a great time to listen to some songs that give you autumn vibes. It’s perfect as you sit outside during a chilly morning and drink a hot beverage.

Plan delicious fall recipes

Planning my favorite fall recipes for the upcoming season is one of my favorite things to do during the summer to fall transition. While it’s still hot outside, I begin daydreaming about my favorite fall comfort foods, dishes that elicit feelings of warmth and coziness on chilly nights. Typically, these are dishes like casseroles, stews, soups, pastas, and meat-forward meals. There’s also usually a focus on root vegetables since that’s what’s in season, and oftentimes even fruit. No matter your taste buds, I think you’ll find some of these suggestions so delicious, you’ll make them staples during the fall season.

• Chicken wild rice casserole
• Roasted apple cider chicken with potatoes and onions
• Sheet pan maple dijon sausage and fall veggies
• Fall harvest vegetable soup
• One pan cranberry rosemary chicken
• Maple apple porkchops (Serious delicious, and probably my favorite)
• Short rib ragu
• Apple cider bacon & herb chicken (Definitely my other favorite!)
• Pumpkin bisque with smoked gouda
• Stuffed pepper soup

Can you believe fall is almost upon us? I’m just so excited for it! Every year it’s the same. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about how to have a great summer to fall transition. Stay tuned for next week’s post as I share why you need a fall routine. Happy reading, friends!