Hey Rock Stars! Welcome to FALL! I love everything about fall except the shortening of the days. I would love it if the colors changed and the temperatures dropped, but it stayed daylight until 9:00. How about you? I found a few fun facts about fall I thought I would share. Who knew fall babies make better students??? Keep reading. 

1. Fall babies make better students: Human children born in autumn (September through December) are more likely to excel in school than those born at other times of the year. (I have one fall baby and two springs. I have to say they are equally smart. Of course, I have to say that.)
2. Autumn used to be call harvest: Until about 1500, autumn was just called “harvest.”  The full moon closest to the autumn equinox is known as a harvest moon. Before cities electrified, the bright night of the harvest moon was essential for farmers harvesting their late-year crops.
3. Lower exposure to vitamin D can mess with your weight: Researchers think that lower levels of vitamin D (due to shorter days and less contact with sunshine) is in part responsible for autumn and winter weight gain. A lack of vitamin D is thought to reduce fat breakdown and trigger fat storage, leading to an average weight gain of two to four pounds each year in autumn and winter. (Definitely something to pay attention to. Apparently, many of us are vitamin D deficit. Recently had mine checked and I was low, so now taking supplements.)
4. Daylight Savings Time is good for us: Our bodies love to “fall back.” On November 1^st, daylight savings time ends, giving us an extra hour of sleep. WOOHOO!  According to a New England Journal of Medicine report, Americans’ rate of heart attacks has been known to fall on the Monday following the end of daylight savings time in November, while the rate of both heart attacks and car accidents tends to rise on the Monday following the start of DST in Spring. 
5. Autumn movies are not Oscar winners: No movie with the word Autumn in the title has won an Oscar. Winter and Spring titles have won, but not autumn. Again, who knew???

I thought those fun facts might entertain you or give you something to share with your grands. Now, on to more pressing matters. Decorating the house. 

I admit, I was having a hard time with the transition. The limited interaction with anyone outside of our family members has hindered my motivation for the full scale decorating I’ve done in the past, but I finally got up in the attic to assess the fall-décor situation and got so excited!  I found things I had bought last year ON SALE and now I get to put them out. That’s my favorite!!!

I also remembered that last fall was Sadie’s super fun wedding, so I decorated the house in a fall-Christmas hybrid décor, knowing I was going to be too busy to totally redo after Thanksgiving. The wedding was November 25 so it was crunch time all month. I’m looking forward to getting all of that down again. For now, I put a wreath on the back door and a Welcome Family and Friends sign up. Miraculously, my ferns have survived the summer so they are still hanging out by the back door. And I added a few pumpkins. When it gets closer to Thanksgiving, I’ll crank up the decorating since the festivities will be at my house this years. I have a few weeks before I need to do that. 

I do want to share one great idea I found the other day. Just take some apples and use them for candle holders. Then place a few more apples on a cake plate with some greenery and, poof, you have a gorgeous center piece!

Happy Decorating everyone!