Fall is here!!! I’ve been a little MIA with work and being a dog mom but I’m here now. I just made my first batch of my award winning chili last week! It was perfection, as always. I just had my dad’s amaaaazing apple crisp for the first time this season too, so I’m obviously packing on the extra cals for winter (JK I need to be losing weight, Italy trip is in 7 weeks and I need to look like nothing short of a Kourtney Kardashian).

Fall is normally a fun time here in Central New York. The leaves start to change, everyone and their brother flock to the apple orchards, and you get your winter tire put on. Super fun stuff. But in all seriousness we do love it. The air is so crisp in the morning and it’s finally staying below 70 degrees during the day, needless to say we’re all loving life. There are a few things everyone neeeeeds to do this fall so I thought I’d put together a fun list of activities!

5 Activities You Should Try This Fall

Visit a local winery or brewery

John and myself are huge cider fans! We love visiting Critz Farms in Cazenovia every fall because they have THE BEST raspberry cider. They also have pumpkin picking and a cool corn maze on the property so it’s really a win-win. Also think they do apple fritters. Apple fitters are LIFE. But visiting these local places are not only fun but a lot of times pretty cheap!! Tastings are normally a few bucks.

Go apple picking

Yes, yes, I know it sounds basic. But it really is a fun activity and something we can only do once a year! I really want to make a homemade apple pie from scratch this year so picking a bunch of apple for delicious fall recipes is fun and gives you something to do on a rainy weekend day. I personally love Owens Orchard out near Auburn but Beak + Skiff is a local PHENOMENON so we may go their because they sell alcohol. But Owens has cheese, amazing cider donuts and more cheese. But we’d love to try somewhere where we can bring the pup so we will see!!

Stay in for a movie night

Seriously nothing is better then laying in bed for hours watching movies or a new Netflix show (cough Amanda Knox Docu cough). John and I are big movie people so convincing us to stay in and watch a movie is not hard. We actually just got a new bed so any excuse to just lay in it and never get up is a okay with us!! I actually have a full review on our Casper bed coming up soon so stay tuned but in the meantime how adorable is this Halloween Movie Night guide? So fun! Obviously wine is a necessity but I have to be honest, it’s rare for me to stay awake for an entire movie. I get SO SLEEPY.

Go for a long drive to a new or favorite restaurant

When the skies are so blue and the clouds are puffy and it’s like perfectly sunny, nothing is better then going for a drive! We like to take the back roads because John is a car guru and is known to really rip through the country side, lol. But really it’s quite fun and always a good photo opt moment too! Do some research on restaurants in the neighboring town or city and adventure on over to it (I suggest doing it before you really get hungry because nothing is worse then being hangry where there is no civilization). I’ve been really wanting to take a trip out to Albany or Saratoga so I’m hoping we have time for it this fall!

Plan a weekend getaway

We all need a weekend away, amiright?! Maybe it’s a girls weekend or just you and your partner, either way it’s the perfect time to look into a long weekend trip. Before it starts to get really cold grab your booties and your felt hats and go somewhere! I’ve been dying to get back to NYC to see some friends and explore before it’s tooo cold so I’m really hoping we can make it down there before the Italy trip! I’ve also never been to Boston (I KNOW) so I’m sure it’s beautiful this time of year there too. If you end up having to fly anywhere seriously look at Google Flights, I always used to only check Kayak until someone told me about Google Flights. It’s super awesome and really couldn’t believe I had never heard of it. Just another option!

Hope you enjoyed and have time to at least do a few of those things in next month or so I’m currently really upset that I couldn’t keep my fall flowers alive so I’m thinking I’ll hit up Michaels this weekend and fill them in with fake ones to make my neighbors think that I’m SOOO GOOD at gardening. Keeping up with the joneses, I’ll tell ya.

It’s been a few weeks! Becaaaaaause… we got a puppy!! This is Mila and she is an Australian Shepherd and her coloring is called Blue Merle. We are SO obsessed with her! I will say she is quite crazy (like all the time) but her face is just too stinking cute.

John and myself did a bunch of research prior to picking out this breed so we know they are high energy and love to be attached. We really wanted a pup that is obedient, likes to learn and likes to play frisbee… that last one is at John’s request lol. But, once we got her, there was SO much more we needed to learn about puppies in general. So if you have a puppy or are thinking about getting one, here is my advice to you –

5 things we learned after getting a puppy –

1. Don’t plan on sleeping

Okay, this seems like whatever but SERIOUSLY I was not prepared for the lack of sleep. The first 2.5 days were exhausting. I would try and get a nap in when the pup slept but I was so nervous that she would wake up and do something so I practically just laid there staring at the inside of my eyelids. I highly suggest taking turns with your significant other and do a few “shifts” so each of you can catch a few hours of sleep. If you’re really sleepy and cranky while trying to train your puppy in those first few days, your life will suck. Not lying here. You will get mad at everything and it will literally make things worse. SO definitely be prepared to function on like 5 hours of sleep.

2. You cannot have enough paper towels

Again, you might chuckle here but we didn’t realize how much these puppies pee in one day. I kid you not probably 20 times. They cannot hold their bladders for more than about an hour, so they’ll literally stop playing suddenly and just go tinkle. No notice, no bark, nothing. So, I highly recommend stocking up on paper towels to clean everything up. After some research we also purchased Natures Miracle, which is an oder remover and cleanup product. It’s amazing and worth it. Highly suggest it. After spraying where the accident was, it takes the smell away so they don’t keep going back to the same spot to go potty. Which in our case is a real miracle. I see where it got it’s name…

3. Don’t make any plans

The first week is critical and tough. You want to teach your pup everything and you just want to lay down and have it cuddle with you. Here’s a reality check, that ain’t happenin! We had our eyes on Mila 24/7. Making sure she didn’t get into this or get into that. Literally running around after her. We barely had time for lunch or dinner (if you know me, that’s like unheard of). We successfully trained her to sit, lay down, and half way roll over in the first week. Success! But now all she does is just sit anytime we are near by lol. We’re working on it. But, I would not make any plans for the first few weeks the puppy is home. You want to spend as much time with them and make sure they are on the right path to training success (and feel comfortable in their new home). Frequently having them in the crate right off the bat might not be the greatest idea.

4. Don’t buy 300 different toys

We made the mistake of having a plethora of toys for Mila to play with! Who doesn’t love toys?! Well, you won’t if you do it wrong. After coming across this article (literally last week) we decided to take away 296 toys and only allow her to have about 4. 2 or 3 for our bedroom/play area and then 1 or 2 that go in our living room. We thought having tons of toys was a great idea but we were totally wrong. Doing it this way, it allows the puppy to know not everything they see is a toy and not everything that moves is a toy. Mila is obsessed with these small Kong tennis balls. They are the perfect size for puppies! We are now just learning how to fetch properly and it’s going great since she is so used to having the one toy! But please keep your fingers crossed on this one.

5.  Patience is key

This may go without saying but patience is the most important thing in the first week or 2. I didn’t realize off the bat how patient I needed to be. To start I’m like the worst patient person so this was hard to adjust to. It takes the puppy sometimes 15 mins to go potty outside. Well, when it’s 2 am and 35 degrees and the wind is blowing, my patience is at a -100. But remember – the puppy can’t help it and they rely on you to take them out and make sure they do it right. Rome wasn’t built in a day so don’t rush stuff. I also want to mention being patient with your significant other during this time is critical as well. There will be times you want to freak out on each other or curse one another out!! Just keep calm and know you both are doing the best you can. Freaking out on each other will only make things worse, it’s not worth it. Just be patient with everything, I know it’s easier said then done but you will definitely learn the true meaning of patience a few days in. Kind of like the couples on Amazing Race but a tad different.

I hope that helped! Getting a puppy was definitely an eye opening experience. We learned so much after getting her. I was about 8 when we got Patches, my family dog (and my first love), so my parents were mostly responsible for the stuff mentioned above. I GIVE IT TO THEM. But having Mila is an experience I wouldn’t want to trade anything for. We really looking forward to training her and getting her to play frisbee in the backyard and walk around the block off leash. We are months away from that but we look forward to learning more along the way! Keep checking back for progress on her training and just her growth We currently call her the Panda-Cow

I thought that Phil the groundhog didn’t see his shadow?? That means early spring but it’s been nothing but cold and snow ever since he came out of that hole. One of the biggest things I’m looking forward to (more now then ever) is breaking out my spring clothes!! I’ve rotated my favorite 4 sweaters long enough! In all seriousness, take a look at your closet and look through alllll the stuff you wear only during one season. It’s kinda crazy. Lauren Conrad’s Style book is a great resource for narrowing down your closet and shopping for things you actually need. And it has awesome pictures

I know when I moved out of my parents house my mom took over my closet… She hung clothes in there that I haven’t seen since I graduated high school! I have no idea how or where all this stuff came from. All I know is that she better not mess up my Derek Jeter shrine in the back of my closet. Those newspaper clipping could be worth something someday!

Well, organizing my life, closet included, is on my to-do this year. I recently came across this awesome on-demand storage company and they l.i.t.e.r.a.l.l.y send you boxes, pick them up, and then put them in storage for you. All lazy people bow down! Can you imagine how your closet would look if you rotated seasonal clothes? Omg it would look like this –

via Style at Home

Who doesn’t want that?!?!?! Who wouldn’t give up a first born for this! You really should think about putting things into storage and checking these guys out. It’s one easy step that could relieve some stress. Especially my friends in NYC, you seriously should look into their storage!! I’ve seen your closets, or lack there of…

Here are a few great ways to clean out your closet going into spring (because I know you all need a little spring cleaning motivation) –

1. Fold All Sweaters

Some sweaters take up so much space if you hang them. First of all, I only hang certain ones because if they are too heavy they will destroy the shoulders, and it’s so upsetting when that happens. I suggest folding. Keep a few spring sweaters or perfect layering cardigans at easy access because you’ll wear those all the time. Everything else, why not pack up and put away in storage! Throw in a few dryer sheets to keep them smelling nice and you’ll be so happy come fall.

2. Seasonal Jeans vs Everyday Jeans

If you said that statement to any male they would be so confused and ask a million questions, laugh, or just roll their eyes. But ladies, we all know there are 2 distinct differences!! Light jeans, white jeans, and super destroyed jeans are for warmer weather only so they rarely get worn in the cooler months, unless you get to go on vacation, you lucky little betch… Keep your seasonal jeans separated so when you don’t do laundry for a few weeks you don’t think you have tons of clean jeans. #SpeakingFromExperience

3. Shoes

If you are like me you easily have 10-20 different pairs of shoes but only wear your favorite 5. I have shoes for weddings specifically, shoes that I got such a great deal on, and shoes I just needed to have. Sending shoes out in storage is a cool new solution for cleaning up the biggest source of clutter in your closet! If they are away in storage and you haven’t even missed them once, then maybe getting rid of them forever is a permanent solution to de-clutter! One of my goals for this spring is to get a bookcase or shelving to organize my shoes on. Looks way prettier than lining the floor in my closet lol

After some reorganizing it looks like I may need to treat myself to a few new spring items No need to pull my arm or anything!! Best of luck with spring cleaning. I’m counting down the days until the snow melts and the green grass pops through so I can wear my nude wedges again.