Life has been crazy lately. Has yours? I started a new job a few weeks ago and it has been non-stop. And I am ok with it because I love it. That being said, I miss my blogging friends and catching up on what has been going on. Here in Minnesota, fall was in the air but it seems summer was not ready to leave yet. And that is ok because we need about another week of 80F-degree weather for the corn crops. But at night is getting cool enough that I am already thinking ‘sweater weather’. I even started lighting my favorite Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works autum scented candles. Please tell me I am not the only one! So, seeing that I am ready for fall, I started decorating the house for fall— my favorite season of the year! What other things I have been up to?

• My little garden is on its last stretch for the season and the only thing still blooming are the sunflowers and cosmos (which are insanely tall this year). And even that is dwindling. Because of winds, my sunflowers are literally toppled but they keep blooming. To be honest, the garden is a mess and this coming weekend, I am taking care of business for a pre-fall tidy up. My roses are doing great and one of them I’m battling with thrips. But I am hoping to be done with them.

• With fall comes decorations, and one of the things I have decided to do is finally work on a goal I have to start my collection of brown transferware. I am excited that yesterday during a trip to La Crosse, WI I came across two different patterns of Johnson Bros. transferware — ‘Historic American’ and ‘Old British Castles’— cup and saucer sets, and they were a great bargain! I don’t think they really knew what they had in their hands.

• I have also been catching up on my reading time. Do you ever buy magazines and they just sit there because you do not have time to read them? that’s me, so this past weekend I indulged on my reading, especially the utterly gorgeous September Victoria magazine issue. Talk about putting me in the autumnal spirit!

• And last but not least— spending time with Riley. I feel like, since I started this job, I do not spend enough time with him. Luckily because my husband works on the farm, Riley is not alone. But I indulged in some quality snuggle time with my crazy doggie, and i needed it as much as he did!

What have you been up to? Have you started decorating for fall? What is your favorite season of the year?

You may find me joining some of these fun link-ups: In a Vase on Monday, Mosaic Monday, Friday Bliss, Home and Garden Thursday, Pink Saturday, Nature Notes, Dishing It & Digging It, Thankful Thursday, Grace at Home, Weekend Blog Hop, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day (15th of the Month), End of Month View (31st of the Month), #MyGloriousGardens, Six on Saturday.