10 on the 10th: September 2022-My 10 Fall Essentials

September 10, 2022 / 34 Comments

Another month has flown by and here we are again at the 10th which means it’s time for 10 on the 10th with Marsha of Marsha in the Middle, Leslie of Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After, and Gail of Is This Mutton? 

Each month, we are presented with 10 questions about a common theme and asked to share our answers in blog post form. This series is such a wonderful way to share more information about ourselves and to learn interesting new things about others. Anyone is invited to join and answer the questions. It is a great way to start new conversations and make meaningful connections with new people.

Since September is the beginning of the fall season in the northern hemisphere, this month we were asked to share 10 things that we consider essential for fall.

Here is my list. The first five are related to style and fashion and the last five are not.

1. Blanket Scarves
Original Post: Styling My Mother’s Day Gifts & Link Up On the Edge #296

As a person who runs cold all the time, my blanket scarves are essential as soon as the temperatures begin to drop in the fall. Not only are they wonderful from a sartorial perspective, blanket scarves are also super practical as mini blankets. I have a very extensive collection (no surprise) and I keep them stashed all around my house so I can easily grab one and quickly wrap myself up if a chill comes upon me.

2. Fingerless Mitts
Original Post: My Writing Life & Link Up On the Edge #138

About 5 or 6 years ago, I began suffering from symptoms of Raynaud syndrome which causes reduced blood flow to the far extremities (fingers, toes, nose) resulting in discoloration, coldness, numbness, and sometimes pain in those areas. The episodes can be triggered by stress or cold, making it much worse when the temperatures drop. One way that I can mitigate the discomfort of an episode is by keeping my hands and feet warm. Fingerless gloves and heavy socks are necessary for me as soon as the temperature drops below 70° F (21° C). Over the past 5 years, I have managed to build a small collection of fingerless mitts in different colors to coordinate with my clothing so many people mistake these accessories as just accessories when, in fact, they are necessities for me.

3. Warm Hats
Original Post: The Fab 40’s are Just Lounging Around & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #251

Coming back to the fact that I always run cold, warm hats are also essential for my autumnal comfort. I do consider hats necessary all year round, however. They offer sun protection in the summer and hide bad hair days any time of year. But keeping me warm in the colder seasons is one of the most important functions of my hat collection. Knit beanies are my go to for cooler weather because they are comfortable and unobtrusive for all day wear both indoors and outdoors.

4. Cozy Sweaters
Original Post: Neon Delight & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #213

Warm and comfortable. Soft and supple. That’s all I really want when it starts getting colder. Like an adoring hug from a caring companion, cozy sweaters are where it’s at.

5. Warm Boots
Original Post: Opposite Day & Your Own Twist Link Up #40

Because I live in a place where it can snow as early as September and as late as June and temperatures can drop as low as -40° F (-40° C), warm boots are an absolute necessity if I am going to step outside comfortably. I like tall boots, short boots, furry boots, clunky boots, heeled boots, flat boots, and any style of boots you can imagine. Give me all the boots!

6. Coffee and Hot Lemon Water
Original Post: I Run On Coffee, Chaos, and Cuss Words with Bellelily

I am a daily coffee drinker all year round and I almost always prefer my coffee hot. Every once in a while during the warmer months, I may go for an iced coffee. But hot coffee always tastes better to me. I tend to alternate between black coffee and adding some French vanilla creamer. I switched to black coffee a few years ago just to eliminate all the sugars I was adding with flavored creamers. Then I started drinking hot lemon water first thing in the morning, followed by my coffee. The lemon before the coffee makes the coffee a little bitter to my palette so I started adding cream again. In any event, hot drinks keep a cold girl warm and are absolutely essential to my fall diet!

7. Scented Candles
Buttered Maple Syrup

Of all the different aromas available in scented candles, I always prefer the ones that smell like fall from apple cider to harvest spice aromas. If my house smells delicious, I am a very happy girl. My favorite ever candle is Buttered Maple Syrup from Crossroads Original Designs. It makes me want to eat my house!

8. Pumpkin Chowder
Easy Vegetable Pumpkin Soup

About a million years ago, I worked for MainStay Funds, the mutual fund subsidiary for New York Life Insurance Company. We had an awesome cafeteria and the head chef would make this amazing pumpkin chowder every fall. Before I moved on from that job, I persuaded the chef to share his recipe with me. I have long since lost the actual recipe but still make my own version of pumpkin chowder every fall. I don’t even have a recipe to share because I make it up as I go (but I shared a recipe above from Michelle of Healthier Steps). Pumpkin Chowder is a family favorite and it doesn’t feel quite like autumn until I have made it. In fact, we were just discussing it a few days ago and decided I need to make it soon. My dear friend Becca is planning to visit me from North Carolina in a few weeks, so I think I will make it then!

9. Fall Hikes
Original Post: What to Wear for an Early Spring Hike & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #217

I love going on a long stroll or an easy hike when the leaves start to change colors and there is a briskness in the air. Fall hikes give me all feels for some reason.

10. Vitamin D Supplements
Shaklee Vita-D3®

Vitamin D saves the day when we have less hours of sunlight and the temperatures get colder and the sun doesn’t bathe us the way it does in the spring and summer. We need to get that Vitamin D from somewhere. Supplements provide this necessary vitamin which has helped me with seasonal affective disorder and keeping my mood stable through the long, cold months of North Country fall and winter.

Now it’s your turn to share! What are you 10 essentials for fall? If you write a post about them, be sure to link it with Marsha, Leslie, and Gail!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.

Cover Image Source

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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34 Comments

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      September 11, 2022 at 7:14 am Reply

      Thanks, Lauren! Fall is definitely in the air here. The early mornings are getting brisker every day. I also make turkey pumpkin chili which is amazing and won 2nd place in a chili cook off many years ago. My trophy was an engraved wooden spoon! Haha.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Joanne

    September 11, 2022 at 8:54 am Reply

    Oh I can not wait to try that pumpkin chowder! That sounds amazing. I love my cosy sweaters and warm boots and fall hikes. I’ve got to get all my fall decor and candles out soon as I do love all those cinnamon and pecan and pumpkin scents!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      September 12, 2022 at 5:40 am Reply

      Oh you will love it, Joanne! Pumpkin chowder makes your whole self feel like fall! I need to get some fall decor for my dining room and front porch but everything is so darn expensive right now that I can’t bring myself to buy anything!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Amy Christensen

    September 11, 2022 at 9:23 am Reply

    This is a great list, Shelbee. I’m definitely on board with the scarves, sweaters, scented candles and hikes. The only thing I would swap out is the coffee, since I’m a tea drinker, but I also add in hot chocolate. Gotta love chocolate in liquid form, escpecially with whipped cream. Thanks for sharing! – Amu
    https://stylingrannymama.com/

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      September 12, 2022 at 5:38 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Amy! This was a fun list to create! I do love hot chocolate, too, and I occasionally drink hot tea, but coffee is definitely always my first preference! When the days get snowy and the kids start playing outside in it, my house turns into hot chocolate central with all the neighborhood kids showing up for some sweet chocolatey warmth! That’s when I start making it by the pot-full!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Michelle

    September 11, 2022 at 10:13 am Reply

    Very cool list of Fall Essentials! I may have to try fingerless mittens. I have a pair of fingerless compression gloves for my achy hands, but any warmth they provide is secondary to the compression. I don’t wear them very long at a time. Love your blanket scarves. So pretty! And functional! I have to take. Vitamin D year round or my levels get too low. No idea why. Fun reading about your Fall Essentials!

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      September 12, 2022 at 5:35 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Michelle! When I read compression gloves, I could almost feel how good the gentle squeeze on my hands would feel. All this painting I have been doing is killing my hands and wrists! I might need to try some compression gloves under my warmer ones or find a pair that is warm but also provides compression. I also take Vitamin D all year round but I am not as consistent during the summer. But then nothing seems consistent in the summer time! I will start back to daily intake of extra Vitamin D probably this week!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Marsha Banks

    September 12, 2022 at 12:14 am Reply

    While I realize the fingerless mitts are a necessity for you, I also think they are a really cool look! I’m not exactly sure why, but I just love them! I have a couple of blanket scarves, but they just swallow me up so I cut one in half and I use the other as tablecloth! Your list looks a lot like mine! Do you dread fall as you know winter follows so closely where you are? I adore fall because winter follows so closely! But, our winters are so mild these days. I’m ready for a good old fashioned blizzard!

    Thanks for linking up, Shelbee!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      September 12, 2022 at 5:28 am Reply

      Thanks, Marsha! I think fingerless mitts are super cute, too, and wore them occasionally before they became a necessity. Now I wear them daily from October through May! I love the idea of cutting blanket scarves in half to eliminate some of the bulk but I just can’t bring myself to cut any of mine! I do have one that came as a triangle like it was already cut in half and it’s fun to style, but I find the giant squares a bit more handy. And even though winter is hot the heels of fall around here, fall is still my favorite season. I just have to get all my “falling” done in a shorter period of time! I hope you get your good old fashioned blizzard this winter, my friend. If not, you can always visit me where blizzards abound!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Tricia

    September 13, 2022 at 9:02 pm Reply

    I love all your fall essentials and am going to have to try fingerless gloves. Vitamin d is really important for women. I thought I was fine until a bone scan and now I take vitamin d gummies everyday. This also reminded me of the list I made for summer. Fun to look back and see what I can check off. I’ll have to start on my fall list now! 🍃🍁

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      September 14, 2022 at 5:34 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Tricia! Fingerless gloves are so helpful for keeping my hands warm while also allowing me to do things like type! And I definitely need to start taking my Vitamin D again. I stopped taking it during the summer really only because I ran out and haven’t bought a new supply yet! Happy fall, my friend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Suzy Turner

    September 14, 2022 at 9:23 am Reply

    I love this. I’m all about the Autumn too…and I just adore it when the weather starts to cool down. We’ve been in the midst of a drought this past year or so, and am so happy to report that the past few days it has been absolutely pouring with the rain and I’m absolutely LOVING it! Today I’m wearing trousers, socks and trainers which is awesome lol. I can’t wait for it to cool down long enough to get all my warm sweaters out!!!
    Big hugs
    Suzy xx

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      September 14, 2022 at 10:14 am Reply

      Thank you, Suzy! Fall is definitely in the air here, too. The mornings and evenings are getting brisker each day and we also have been getting lots of much needed rain which is helping to cool things down when it is isn’t making things more humid. I have been wearing leggings and long sleeved toppers all week and I am getting ready for the bundle up season the best I can!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Gail

    September 16, 2022 at 4:23 am Reply

    Ah yes, all these resonate, except for pumpkin chowder! In the UK pumpkins only really come out as Halloween decorations. I didn’t get time to write a post unfortunately! Thanks for linking Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      September 16, 2022 at 5:40 am Reply

      Thanks, Gail! Do you not even make pumpkin pie in the UK? It is one of my favorite fall desserts! When I was a kid I hated pie crust so my mom always made me pumpkin pie without the crust. It was basically pumpkin pie pudding. But so delicious!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • chickenruby

    September 24, 2022 at 5:13 pm Reply

    Getting ready for winter here too. Love this time of year when the cold air starts to nip but the rain stays away. I need a few pairs of those fingerless gloves as I get chill blains amd fimnd movement difficuly in my fingers. Thanks for linking with #pocolo

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      September 25, 2022 at 7:23 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Suzanne! This is definitely my favorite time of year as well except for the cold fingers and toes! I ordered a few packs of these fingerless gloves on Amazon a few years back and they have been so great! I found them in 4 packs with a variety of neutral colors so they match everything I wear. I don’t like the ones with the half-fingers on them though because they interfere with my fine motor skills like typing. The ones that cut off right at the knuckles are my favorite!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

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