Delicious autumn has arrived in the mountains and the aspens are beginning to shimmer with yellow. The first chill in the air always inspires me to begin what I call Fall Nesting—a house cleaning and tidying up, nearly equal to spring cleaning. I like to settle in for fall and winter in a clean, cozy home (though with two small children, it never stays nearly as tidy as I would like!).

Here is my Fall Nesting to-do list for this year:

1. Clean under the refrigerator and stove.
2. Clean and reorganize the cupboard under the sink.
3. Deep-clean the refrigerator.
4. Reorganize my pantry cupboard and evaluate what I would like to have on hand for snowbound days. (This doesn’t take long as my pantry is little more than one cubic foot.)
5. Clean all of the windows and sills. (This is always my most dreaded cleaning job, as my home’s ninety-five-year-old windows are quite crumbly and splintery, but I always feel better about my life once it’s done!)
6. Spot clean the carpet.
7. Sort the girls’ toys, books and art supplies.
8. Sort the girls’ clothes and put summer clothes away in the attic. Evaluate what clothing items they need for fall and winter. (I find that storing away my daughters’ off-season clothing helps with tidying so much, as the four of us share one standard closet and both of my girls love to take their clothes out of the closet!)
9. Sort, purge, and organize the rest of the bedroom closet.
10. Purchase a couple of new boxes of tea and daydream about handmade teacups and open shelving.

I’m about halfway through my list and I can’t wait until it’s all done!

What about you? Do you have any Fall Nesting habits or traditions? I would love to hear in the comments below!