crunchy leaves and crisp blank pages

October 1, 2010

finally fall?
in some locales, i suppose october is synomymous with crisp cool days and crunchy leaves underfoot. here, it’s merely not as hot; the true autumn winds lag about a month behind what i remember from growing up in the northeast.


but the upcoming weekend looks quite nice! i can’t wait to go on some runs in 50s-60s temps — starting this morning (i’d better hurry, since it’s already 65).

AND — speaking of the weekend, we are headed to the beach in just a matter of hours (approximately 12 of them, to be specific). while it isn’t exactly traditional beach weather, i could care less. i’m still terribly excited to be getting away from it all with josh for a day or so, even if it’s no longer the season for lying out and soaking up the sun (slathered in SPF 1000 sunscreen, of course).

what fall means to me
✔ crisp runs
✔ fresh apples (we have some amazing ones right now from our CSA!)
✔ pumpkin-flavored things
✔ less air conditioning!
✔ back to school shopping (clothes + stationery)
✔ halloween candy
✔ shorter days = longer cozy nights

it’s not my favorite season — i think my order of preference would be spring (there’s just something magical about breaking through the icy winter!), and then summer, and then fall. but there are enough lovely things about fall to appreciate it in its own right.

what is your preferred season? and what is your #1 favorite thing about fall?

planner season
i consider october the first month of planner season. ie, when i get to select my planner for the next year!

last year my fabulous friend vickie did a series on planner selection, and i am hoping she will perhaps be back for an encore (by the way, for any of you that think i am a doctor with unusually good penmanship, you should meet v. she puts me to shame . . .).

in fact, when i read over her posts, i am tempted to go the route she went and try one of these lovely graphic image planners:

available here, though they are quite pricey!
last year, you might remember that i was intrigued by the colour-a-month daily pocket planner by moleskine.

i found a ridiculous deal (something like $15 on amazon!?) and caved.


the set did live up to its expectations, aesthetically.

i thought i might use them for daily list-making in this fashion . . .


or for tracking my personal happiness project.


but it turned out to be just too much planner for me. of course, i make daily lists all the time — but not every single day. and i would prefer them to be on a separate sheet of paper that i can just carry around with me (with my work stuff, or tucked into my regular planner, for example). and therefore, the sad truth is that i didn’t really use this tool much at all. at least it looks pretty sitting up on my shelf!

one thought that crossed my mind this year (yes, i’ve already been contemplating this for a while) was a custom system, perhaps one by russell + hazel, a company which i simultaneously love and loathe for their beautiful designs and hideously (incongruously) expensive price tags.

russell + hazel binder now partially filled with bits of endocrine data
however, i am left-handed, and i hate writing in binders (among other non-flat surfaces). i thank my lucky stars for this fact because otherwise i could easily see myself dropping triple digits on some ridiculous system just because the colors and lines are just so artful.

no, instead most likely i will be sticking with old faithful:

the practical and pretty space 24!!
of course, i’ll keep you all posted.

have you picked out your system for 2011? tell me! yes, i really want to know!

i know, i’m full of questions this morning! if you’re up for it, jump in & humor me with your answers — both season and paper-related.

————————————————————————-

9.30.10

workout: 45 minute dave farmar vinyasa power yoga session

real simple october cooking challenge, round #2:

what’s that? you’re not sure which one of the photos below is mine?


i wish . . .


i actually didn’t luuuuv this meal (recipe here; i used whole wheat pasta and less olive oil).

i would have preferred the mozzarella added on top in chunks, because it melted and got all stringy and a) didn’t look very photogenic and b) just wasn’t my favorite texture. i have no problem with ooey gooey mozzarella on pizza or lasagna, but it just didn’t make sense to me in this dish. oh well: i will move on to round #3 after a little beach interlude!

5 Comments

  • Reply Denise March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    I love fall! Fall = Miles&#39 birthday and college football! I love pumpkin stuff too. The only thing I don&#39t love about fall is that it means winter is right around the corner….

    I need a to do list notebook that I can keep in my purse. I have a notebook that I keep at work but I need one for my personal to dos. I think there is a trip to Target in my future.

  • Reply haya March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    fall means exactly that to me too

    it is my favourite season (you make spring sound so romantic, but in reality, it&#39s muddy, kind of smelly and WET. and the geese make their return) though.
    i have gone almost entirely electronic with my planners/lists, sadly. i wish i used my colour a month more (and now that the year is almost over and they are mostly unused, i need to figure out what to do with them/how to repurpose). as a lefty, i feel the same way about binders! in high school (the last time i really had to use binders) i often considered using them backwards/upside down so the rings were on the right side of the page.
    i quite like the look of your space 24 planner layout but i feel like it might be too big.

  • Reply Kristina March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    I always have a hard time picking out a preferred season, in part because things can be really out of whack here in Southern CA. It&#39s been blazing hot, unusually so, but we often experience "Santa Ana" winds in September and October which are pretty brutal. I do like any time after a rainstorm in the winter months, because it means that you have crazy-clear skies and can see snow on the mountains in the distance.
    As for fall, I do think of school starting and all of the &#39events&#39 that I have to get through! And, as the weather eventually cools down, it&#39s great to eat more roasted vegetables and make soups and stews!

  • Reply Heather @ Side of Sneakers March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    I&#39m still stuck in "school year" planners because if I switch over to a calendar year, what ever will I do with half a blank planner?!?! 😉 I have 2 calendar notebooks from Target. Why 2? I don&#39t know. I just love planners.

    And I love Fall and Spring- tough to pick between the two. The best thing about fall is wearing jeans, the smell of fresh air, and fall spice smell (you know…like in candles…) 😉

  • Reply Stephanie S. March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    The planners from Barnes and Noble look very similar to the ones you showed from The Daily Planner. I have been using the BN ones for a few years and love them. Leather covers, weekly layout with a month view at the beginning of each. And, not too expensive at about $15-20 (or, is it ridiculous that I think that is an "affordable" planner? hmn.)

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