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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf fall had a hype woman, it could be Ashlee McLean<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n As soon as the earliest signs of autumn arrive \u2014 kids starting school and the first leaves dropping on her Mount Horeb home \u2014 it\u2019s on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have seven maples in our yard, and they start getting crisp at the end of August,\u201d she says. \u201cI yell, \u2018Go get the bins, it\u2019s fall!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Out come the decorations that she, husband Dane and son Eli use to decorate their front porch and house. Every year, they add pumpkins they\u2019ve grown from their garden, and sometimes Ashlee adds extra d\u00e9cor like fresh hay. And it doesn\u2019t matter what weather Mother Nature is currently serving up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt can be ninety degrees out and I have flannel blankets all over the place,\u201d Ashlee says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashlee\u2019s not sure where her love of fall comes from, but she\u2019s happy that her family shares it. And there\u2019s so much to celebrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s soup season!\u201d she says. \u201cCrock pots, pumpkin spice everything, apple everything. It\u2019s acceptable to eat pie all day. We have bonfires and leave our windows open as late as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s also the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love the colors, but also how it represents being okay with change,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashlee\u2019s enthusiasm carries into her work as a preschool teacher at a Montessori school. She loves teaching and focuses on nature, kindness, inclusivity and modeling mistakes to the three-, four- and five-year-olds in her classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She\u2019s been with the school almost her entire time living in the Madison area. Both she and Dane, who works in IT, hail from Rockford, Illinois, and started dating in college. They spent a few years living in southern California, and there the pair began dreaming about starting a family and returning to the Midwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe wanted a town that we could make our own,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd we fell in love with Madison.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eventually, they made their way to Mount Horeb, which the family appreciates for its small-town feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s my little Stars Hollow,\u201d says Ashlee, referencing the fictional setting of Gilmore Girls<\/em>. \u201cIt has little stores, an ice cream shop, a thrift shop, an antiques store. I work in the city and then go back to our little cottage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There, she and Dane raise Eli along with three dog and three rats, the latter of whom have been a surprisingly welcome addition to the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEli really wanted a small pet, and we did a lot of research,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019re potty trained and they come when called. They are the sweetest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashlee, Dane and Eli are all passionate animal lovers and vegans. Every year for his birthday, Eli raises money for the Heartland Farm Sanctuary<\/a> in Verona, and Dane regularly whips up delicious plant-based meals for the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDane is an amazing cook,\u201d says Ashlee. \u201cThe kitchen is our home base. Sometimes we just sit on the kitchen floor to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashlee decorates the home with pottery she\u2019s been collecting for years, and Eli recently began taking pottery classes. Ashlee\u2019s preferred hobby is crocheting<\/a> \u2014 specifically amigurumi, the Japanese practice of creating small stuffed creatures. She loves crocheting mermaids, dinosaurs and little Disney characters for family, friends and her preschool graduates. She also sells tiny fidget rainbows and reusable water balloons at KELLA<\/a> in Mount Horeb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At home, the family mostly spends time together, but they also enjoy hosting family and friends. A highlight is a fall party they throw every year, with Dane making pumpkin chili.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other fall must-dos include hitting up the big slides and corn maze at Enchanted Valley Acres<\/a> in Cross Plains, going apple picking and taking lots of walks and hikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Ashlee and Dane\u2019s biggest fall tradition is going to Door County. They first went to celebrate their anniversary when Ashlee was pregnant and they\u2019ve returned every year since. They hike at Peninsula State Park<\/a>, eat pizza at Wild Tomato<\/a>, attend the Sister Bay Fall Fest<\/a> and soak up being together in a place they love at a time of year they adore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been to Door County nine times,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s our special thing. Every nook and cranny has a history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 Katie Vaughn<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Photos courtesy of Ashlee McLean.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kat<\/em><\/a>ie Vaughn<\/a> is the editor and co-founder of Northerly. She is a University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University-trained journalist with experience as a writer, reporter, editor, blogger and author. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughter and son, and is always up for an adventure.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/livenortherly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.png\")
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