Happy Friday, friends, and happy November! November is my favorite month of the year for so so many reasons. I love November first and foremost because it’s my birthday month (wohoo!). I also love November because the weather usually cools down in Texas so we get to spend a lot of time outdoors. November typically means a lot of family, too, due to Thanksgiving, and holiday festivities. And the last reason I love November? I get to start decorating for Christmas…
But, before we get caught up in the holidays, let’s talk about Fall. We have 4 weeks more or less to soak up all things fall before the holidays are in full force. Four weeks seems like such a long time, but in reality we all know it will fly by. So, in order to make sure we fit everything fun in, I created a fall bucket list for our family. Some of the items are things that everyone would enjoy and some – like cooking a whole duck – are more specific to our family and traditions Trav and I have started in our marriage.
What would you put on your bucket list? I found that ours revolved mainly around being outside and cooking. Fall may not last long in Dallas, but the couple of weeks we get are truly incredible and make you want to be outdoors all the time. We’re lucky enough to live by a lake, too, so doing things like having a picnic are so fun. I love getting my girls outside and away from the TV anyway, so chances are every day after school we’ll be playing in our yard – checking things off our list!
We also love to cook. Since having kids, we haven’t been able to cook as much as we would like, so we make sure we hit the fall specials each year. Travis is the pie guy in our family, so he usually makes 1-3 pies prior to Thanksgiving to test them out. We all benefit from that. I probably benefit the most because it doesn’t require me to be in the kitchen at all. We also started the tradition of cooking a whole duck a couple of years ago. Duck meat is so dang good and you can usually find a whole duck at Central Market this time of year. We typically open a nice bottle of wine while we cook as well – a good “stay-at-home” date night.
My favorite fall bucket list item though has to be the backyard bonfire. There’s just something so relaxing about sitting outdoors cuddled in a blanket with the smell of a bonfire and the crisp air on your cheeks. A couple of years ago Travis and his brother build a fire pit for me for my birthday and it’s still one of my favorite gifts! I’m not so much a s’mores person – Emma Grace definitely is – but I just love sitting around a fire with friends and family!
Now what goes better with a Fall Bucket List than a fall sweater? With the holidays approaching, I’ve been looking for budget-friendly ways to update my wardrobe. This time of year seems to be full of events and gift giving, so I try to spend as little as I can on clothing. Lately, I’ve been finding trendy items from Amazon of all places. Have you searched Amazon Fashion at all? It’s actually pretty impressive. They carry premium brands such as Ray Ban, Frye, Dolce Vita, and 7 For All Mankind.
But, they also carry lots of well-made items at super affordable prices. This sweater for example was only $14. $14, y’all! When I found it I immediately added it to my cart because it looks super similar to this Madewell wrap sweater, but much, much cheaper. It wasn’t offered via Prime, so it took awhile to get, but it was worth the wait. The material is super soft, it’s well-made, and it holds up in the wash!
What was appealing to me about this wrap sweater is that you can layer it over whatever type of camisole you already have for a fun statement. For me, I layered it over a pink camisole (duh), and gave it a feminine bent. But, you could put any color or style under it. It’s a great transitional sweater, too, because it isn’t too thick. I also love the color of this sweater – a great neutral for any skin type!
sweater: amazon ($14) | camisole: similar | jeans: levi’s | booties: loft (similar, similar) | bag: gigi new york (similar) | sunines: karen walker
photography: fort lion studio
