Fall is in the Air

I got Kenneth down for her nap this morning and was sitting at the kitchen table with my bullet journal and a cup of hot tea soaking in the fall weather that finally decided to make an appearance.  I absolutely love fall; it is hands down my favorite season.  I love decorating with pumpkins, ghosts, and multicolored leaves. But above all else the scents of fall are my favorite: apple pie, pumpkin spice, vanilla bean, cinnamon, cloves, oranges, cranberries....the list could go on.  Imagine my dismay while as I was doing some research on my favorite Yankee Candles I discovered that they contain some crap toxins that I definitely don't want Kenneth breathing in.  I decided candles are now banned in our household (which I guess they always should have been since I did burn down my room when I was 13)  and decided to try something new to get my fall scent fix.


I searched the internet for ideas and came across a popular trend called Potpourri.  It seemed easy enough and I had most of the ingredients in my kitchen already so I figured I'd give it a try.  I put a pot on the stove, put in 2 (sliced) apples, 1 (sliced) orange, a sprinkle of whole cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, and a dash of vanilla extract.  I then poured water over everything and turned the stove on low.

This has been simmering on my stovetop now for a little over 9 hours and my house smells AMAZING.  It's a much more natural and less overpowering smell than a candle.  I have to pour more water in it every so often since the water evaporates throughout the day, but aside from that there was zero maintenance.  Also no worry about gross smoke stains on the walls or ceilings!  I 10/10 recommend this method for making your house smell delicious and fresh.  I'm going to make apple butter in a few days and then the amazing smell will also turn into something amazing to eat!  Leave your favorite fall recipes below and I'll try them out!