As much as I love the summer, I get a bit giddy when the leaves begin to change. Autumn here in the Midwest is a mix of skies so blue they almost make you cry, and leaves that put crayons to shame. Around mid-September I forget all about summer and long for cool autumn days and sweater nights. Every pumpkin patch seems to call my name and the fall decorating bug bites me daily.
I find that autumn is a season with pleasures as abundant as the harvest. Join me for a party of autumn pleasures. Look around and begin harvesting your own pleasures. Start with these five inspirational ideas. Once you enjoy these five, click the link for 70 more, and fill your fall with fun.
(We also have a Winner!)

Make Pumpkin Everything
The official fruit of autumn is the proud pumpkin. An abundance of pumpkin-inspired items makes its grand appearance every autumn. Pumpkin spice candles, pumpkin spice coffee and yummy pumpkin indulgences are everywhere. Join the pumpkin bandwagon and fill your home with the aroma of baking pumpkin. Start with bread; whip up some pumpkin fudge. Start your morning with pumpkin pancakes and end it with pumpkin soup. Don’t forget to munch on the pumpkin seeds. Enjoy some pumpkin pleasure.

Enjoy the Little Things
Everyone’s plate is full. Our calendars are overbooked. Seasonal extravagance is for magazines, but not our lives. This autumn enjoy the little things. A little pumpkin for your desk, mini marshmallows for your cocoa, a little rest for your day. Enjoyment begins when our eyes are opened to the simple and the little.

Savor Some Sweetness
The season of ice tea and lemonade is past. What your taste buds yearn for now is hot chocolate in your favorite mug. A cup of warm sweetness topped with tiny bobbing marshmallows makes its arrival in time for the season’s first cold snap. Keep the kettle on the stove for the instant variety or be certain there’s milk in the fridge. Pleasure, let me spell it out for you:
L i q u i d c h o c o l a t e

Munch Candy Corn
Orange, white and yellow stripped triangular candy just yells autumn. This tri-colored candy was created in the late 1800s and was called “chicken-feed.” Candy corn is still yummy and a symbol of autumn 140 years later. Even if you prefer not to indulge in this confection, bowlfuls are a wonderful way to bring some autumn color into a room.

Devour a Carmel Apple
The crisp fresh taste of autumn apples combined with sticky caramel is the perfect fall time indulgence. You’re not always sure how to take that first bite. There’s no non-sticky way to do it, so just dive in. Once you pry your teeth apart, the remainder will now be easy to consume. The gooey caramel and juicy apples are the perfect match for any pleasure-loving foodie.
Find 70 MORE autumn ideas in my FREE eBook, 75 Seasonal Pleasures – Autumn.
CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE COPY.
We have a winner for “The Most Beautiful Villages of France.” Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on my travel blogs and enter our contest.
The Winner of the lovely book is Mary Runion!!! Mary’s name was randomly drawn from all the entries. I loved the bit of information that Mary shared with us.
“Did you know that Ernest Hemingway HATED the Eiffel Tower? He said it was the ugliest thing he had ever seen and that it destroyed the Parisian skyline. When they asked him why he would often frequent the café IN the Eiffel Tower, he said very simply, it is the only place in Paris that you don’t have to look AT the Eiffel Tower.”
Thanks everyone for entering. I have another prize coming up. I bought a few special things while I was in Europe and I’m excited to once again give them away to one of you who subscribe and comment. I’ll reveal them next week.