I.LOVE. FALL. There is just something about this time of year that gets me giddy. I love that crisp coolness you start to feel in the air, the crunch of the sidewalk as you walk past an array of fallen leaves, and the beautiful variety of colors I start to see in the mountains by our home! I love the fact that I can pull my sweaters and boots out of my closet, and I start to get REALLY excited for all the holidays coming up. I have already been brainstorming Halloween costumes for my kiddies, and I may or may not have already pulled out some Christmas music;).

There are also so many wonderful colors and smells and foods associated with fall- orange, red, yellow, brown, pumpkin, sweet potato, butternut squash, apples, pies, yams- oh my goodness I love fall!

One thing that I like to do with my family is create a seasonal bucket list. I love the concept of a bucket list (probably because it is a list and I love lists, as you probably all know by now!). But sometimes a lifelong bucket list can be a little overwhelming, or maybe we want a shorter end in sight for some of our goals- hence the great idea of having a seasonal bucket list. There are always things I want to do once summer ends and the holiday season begins to approach. Often life gets busy and time passes by and suddenly it's Christmas and we didn't do any of the things we wanted to! But I tend to be much more apt to do something if it's written down!

You can make your bucket list as simple or as complicated as you want. It can be written in pencil on a piece of lined paper and taped to the fridge or you can get fancy and buy some poster board and have all your ideas on display in the kitchen or another frequently used room. You can ask other members of your family for their ideas and then compile a list, or you can make a small party of it and plan a whole evening dedicated to creating the bucket list, complete with some fall-inspired snacks and treats;).

Here are some ideas of that could go on your family's fall bucket list:

-jump in a pile of leaves (a classic!)

-carve pumpkins

-go for a drive to look at the beautiful leaves!

-make pumpkin pie

-make pumpkin cookies

-bob for apples

-try a new recipe! (I have a recipe for a Thai Butternut Squash soup that I'm dying to try!)

-host a fall harvest party or a Halloween party

-take family pictures (the perfect time of year to do it- it's beautiful outside and then you have a picture ready to go for your Christmas card!)

-go for a hayride

-visit a pumpkin patch

-pick your own apples at a local orchard (with permission, of course;) )

-go to a corn maze

-make apple pie

-have a costume contest around Halloween

-write a list of things to be grateful for around Thanksgiving

-go for a walk with a loved one (Does anything say romantic like holding hands down a leaf-covered path!?)

-do a Halloween or Thanksgiving craft with your kids or grandkids

-Make a new hot chocolate recipe and drink it while wrapped in a blanket (it's even better if you add a good book or a spouse- the experience, not the hot cocoa;) )

What would you add to this list? What are your family's favorite fall traditions? I'd love some more ideas for my family's bucket list!