I *Heart* Fall.

image via flickr

Fall is my favorite season by far. It makes me want to start a fire in the fireplace and curl up in a (faux) fur throw and drink hot cocoa (okay, a dirty martini with blue cheese-stuffed olives :-) and read something really great like Dr. Zhivago.

The truth is, I am a season-rusher. My husband always teases me about it. Any minute now I will be secretly watching really old Christmas movies like "Christmas in Connecticut" with Barbara Stanwyck. But not quite yet (okay, that's a lie). I love the old 40s movie sets. But more on that later.

For now I am listening to Grandma music on cable and looking through catalogs.

Acorn bracelet, J. Crew

Faux bois garden stool, Gump's

Provence Platter, Williams Sonoma

You will not be surprised to know that I have about 20 versions of "Autumn Leaves" on my iPod - from Edith Piaf to Tom Jones - which I will listen to while I cook a really fattening dinner of comfort food such as I am planning for Sunday night: Lamb shanks with creamy parsley and mascarpone polenta. It's so good. Compliments of Curtis Stone, Take Home Chef:

Adorable Aussie Curtis Stone

It's a little heavy on the prep but then you throw it in the oven for hours and forget about it. Anyway, it's actually a little early for this - usually I am making homemade ravioli with sage and butter sauce which I might make tomorrow since we are in the midst of a Nor'easter and sort of stuck at home.

But for now I will have to psyche up to hike over to the high school football game where my daughter will be playing snare drum in her kick-ass marching band in spite of the rain...

But I will sneak home after halftime while she is huddled up in the bleachers until the game's over. And these will be her memories of Fall.