My favorite weekend of the year is the third weekend in October. 

We call it “Fall clean up weekend ”

You may not know this, but we live right next door to my mother and father in law. 

And our favorite thing to do as a family is work outside. 

All spring we plant flowers and seeds and clean up branches on the trees, in the summer my father-in-law and Jason take care of the lawn with a borderline OCD level of precision. 

But then comes mid October, which in Colorado is the most stunning time of year. It’s still mild but the leaves have turned, the sky’s the bluest blue you’ve ever seen and you can feel the magic in the air. 

So for those two magical days together in October we clean up the gardens and “put them to bed” for the winter, plant bulbs and dream of what they’ll look like in the Spring, play in the leaves, then make a cozy dinner and sit outside together to enjoy it together and talk about our favorite memories from the summer. 

Look at this throw back of Jack and Violet with Grandpa – this was out first fall in our house!

And get this!! Incoming Smart Cookie Hack!!

I’ve also learned over the years that October is actually the best time to upgrade your outdoor space. Shrubs and trees are at the lowest price of the year and it’s still a great time to plant, and you can find the best deals of the year on outdoor furniture. 

We found some great finds at Lowes aaaand I shopped through the Ibotta App so I could earn 10% cashback on our Fall upgrades. 

I’ve been sitting out the deck on our new patio set in the mornings sipping coffee working on plans for some fun projects to end the year. I can’t wait to share more. 

One of my favorite quotes this time of year is this:

“January resolutions are about will. September resolutions are about authentic wants.” Sarah Ban Breathnach

I know it’s October but the entire fall season feels like that to me, does it to you too?